warheroes

Over at Fanzing.com, I’ve got a companion of sorts to the Golden Age Hero and Villain threads
that Von-El currently has on the Boards. It represents my first attempt at grouping together
all of DC’s war heroes, separated by the wars that they fought in. A few super-heroes are
included, mostly those who fought behind the lines or were part of the Armed Forces for more
than a single story, but this is primarily devoted to the dozens of non-powered fighting men of
the DCU.

This link will bring you to my Sgt. Rock article:http://www.fanzing.com/fanzing36/feature4.shtml

And here’s the link to the Directory:http://www.fanzing.com/fanzing36/feature2.shtml

The war directory was SUCH a big project that I ended up having to submit it to David
“as is” when I reached the deadline. Consequently, there are a number of entries that I didn’t
complete until afterwards and, which David’s permission, I’m running them here -- along with a
list of the other characters whose write-ups appear in Fanzing.

Note that all of the following entries have been written as they apply to current DC
continuity. In most cases, there is minimal (if any conflict) with pre-Crisis DC stories but
there are exceptions, notably characters such as the Blackhawks, Jonathan Kent, Sam Lane and
Steve Trevor, whose previous histories were completely torn asunder by the new universe created
in the wake of Crisis On Infinite Earths.

In the ever-shifting currents of the DC Universe timeline, a number of other characters who
originally served in Vietnam must now have served during peacetime. These characters include
Philip Rothstein (Infinity, Inc. # 1) and Henry “Hank” Heywood II (Justice League of America
# 235), the fathers of Nuklon/Atom-Smasher and Steel II, respectively. Heywood, like Rothstein,
was killed in action but his best friend, Dale Gunn, became a surrogate father to Hank III and
a trusted ally of the Justice League of America (Justice League of America Annual # 2-3; Justice
League of America # 233-239, 241-246, 261). Also in Vietnam, private eye Jason Bard acquired a
permanent limp that forced him to use a cane. Whether his military service (even updated to
Operation Desert Storm) is still part of his history remains to be seen. And Etta Candy’s
tour of duty in Desert Storm (Wonder Woman [current] # 52) is now gone with the winds of time.

The Rock of Easy

by John Wells

Franklin John Rock was no stranger to death even before he joined the army. His father, Sgt. John Michael Rock, had been killed by a sniper's bullet in France during World War One while his stepfather, John Anderson, perished during a mine cave-in. Even a surrogate father that Frank had come to admire while working at a Pittsburgh steel mill had met an untimely death.

Sgt. Rock's complex family tree comes by way of creator Robert Kanigher, who added new (and often conflicting) branches throughout the character's original 29 year run (1959's OUR ARMY AT WAR # 81 to 1988's SGT. ROCK # 422). Rock's father was variously described as having died in a mine cave-in (OAAW # 231), in World War I (# 275 and 419) or in a Pittsburgh steel mill (# 347). Robin Snyder (in a letter mistakenly attributed in # 353 to Mike Tiefenbacher) suggested that one of the deaths occurred to Rock's stepfather and his existence was confirmed in # 400. As things currently stand, it was father John Rock who died in combat and stepfather John Anderson who perished in a cave-in. The third death, as theorized above, probably occurred to a father figure that Frank Rock worked with at the steel mill.

Of Rock's other siblings, Ann was confined to a mental institution (# 400), Eddie died in a motorcycle accident (# 231), Josh was killed in a plunge off the Golden Gate Bridge while training to be a paratrooper (# 158), Larry was left a vegetable after his WWII injuries and was cared for by his sister Amy (# 421). Bill was in the Marines (# 141) and hopefully escaped the family curse. ("Saving Sgt. Rock", anyone ?) Issue # 347 had Rock mistakenly recall Josh's death as having occurred to Bill. (Rock's WHO'S WHO entry mentioned a fifth brother, Mickey (also deceased), and failed to note Amy, Ann, Bill and Josh.)

Further flashbacks would establish Rock as a graduate of Pennsylvania's Hillside High School, where he was a far better athlete than scholar. After John Anderson's death, Frank tried to support the family as a prizefighter but soon took a more secure position at a Pittsburgh steel mill.

Rock's days at the steel mill had been established in the introductory OAAW # 81 but his origin wasn't detailed in depth until 1963's SHOWCASE # 45. This account had him gaining his Sergeant's stripes after the 1944 D-Day invasion. The back story would later be revised to establish that Frank had enlisted on December 8, 1941. Frank left behind a girlfriend named Mary Walsh, who sent him a "Dear John" letter in OAAW # 175. Rock's only serious love interest during the war was French Resistance fighter Mademoiselle Marie, who crossed paths with Frank in (among others) OAAW # 115, 140, 294, BRAVE & BOLD # 52, DC SUPER-STARS # 15, SGT. ROCK ANNUAL # 2 and SGT. ROCK # 412 and 421.

Rock routinely turned down offers to be promoted further, gaining the nickname of "the General of Sergeants" in OAAW # 256. That issue, incidentally, launched a serial in which Frank saw action in the Pacific apart from Easy Company and ended up lost at sea and stranded on a desolate island (# 257-260). Upon his return to the European Theater and the death of his replacement, Sgt. Decker, Rock took his proper place in Easy Company once more (# 262).

In 1965, a member of the Rock family briefly staked out a claim on the Japanese end of World War Two, with Frank's brother Lieutenant Larry Rock fighting on Bataan with the Marines. Kanigher and Irv Novick's "Fighting Devil Dog" survived a mere four issues in OUR FIGHTING FORCES (# 95-98) before being bumped for the contemporary adventures of Captain Phil Hunter in Vietnam. After follow-up appearances in 1966's CAPT. STORM # 13 and 1977's UNKNOWN SOLDIER # 205-207 (a solo trilogy written by Steve Skeates), Larry was killed in 1982's SGT. ROCK ANNUAL # 2. Kanigher later changed his mind and had Frank's sibling return as an invalid in SGT. ROCK # 421, the penultimate issue.

Although readers often joked that Sgt. Rock and Easy seemed to possess a super-human capacity for survival, Kanigher's only overt concession to the booming popularity of super-heroes was a Nazi officer with an iron hand. The Iron Major (Franz von ?) debuted in OAAW # 158 (1965), returning in # 165, 251-253, BRAVE & BOLD # 162, SGT. ROCK # 342, 345, 359 and SGT. ROCK ANNUAL # 2 & 4. After a final bow two issues before the end of the series (SR # 420), the Iron Major returned as a ghost in the present-day WAR OF THE GODS # 4 and HAWK AND DOVE ANNUAL # 1.

Kanigher had established Frank's post-war survival in OAAW # 168, wherein he had Rock visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Bob Haney picked up on that fact in THE BRAVE & THE BOLD. In issue # 84, he'd had Rock and Easy cross paths with Bruce (Batman) Wayne during the war (in an episode obviously set on Earth-Two) and followed up with a present-day sequel in B&B # 96. In that one, Bruce arrived at the United States Embassy in South America and was introduced to "our Military Attache and Chief of Embassy Security ... Sergeant Rock, U.S. Army." Two subsequent present-day episodes found Rock tracking a Satanic figure that he believed was Adolf Hitler (B&B # 108) and an Easy Company "ghost" that he'd been ordered to execute at the Battle of the Bulge (B&B # 117). In the bizarre B&B # 124, Bob Haney and Jim Aparo actually guest-starred as Rock and Batman trailed a terrorist organization called the 1000.

In World War Two flashbacks, Rock crossed paths with Earth-Two's Batman once more (B&B # 162) as well as Wonder Woman (WORLD'S FINEST # 248-249) and a time-displaced Superman (DC COMICS PRESENTS # 10). BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS # 2 and WORLD'S FINEST # 300 placed Easy Company in the European nation of Markovia, also seen in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS # 3-5. Rock was also tossed into cross-time affairs such as 1978's SHOWCASE # 100 and 1992's ARMAGEDDON: INFERNO # 2 and 4.

All of the super-hero crossovers were more than Kanigher could take. In the letter columns of 1978's SGT. ROCK # 316 and 323 and 1980's SR # 347 and 348, he announced that his hero had not lived past 1945, blunting most of Haney's BRAVE & BOLD episodes if nothing else. "It is inevitable and wholly in character that neither Rock nor Easy survived the closing days of the war," he proclaimed.

Apprised of the fact that Bob Haney had written the first two Sgt. Rock stories in OAAW # 81 and 82 (with art by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito and Mort Drucker, respectively), Kanigher retroactively declared the first episode that he'd written (OAAW # 83's Joe Kubert-illustrated "The Rock and The Wall") as Rock's true debut. A number of fans have argued passionately on Kanigher's behalf, accurately citing numerous Rock prototypes that appeared in the four years leading up to issue # 83 and noting that the character in # 81 is called "Sgt. Rocky." In the end, though, popular opinion seems to have fallen in favor of the Kanigher-edited "Rock of Easy" as being the inaugural episode and it was OAAW # 81 that was recently selected by DC as a Millennium Edition.

SGT. ROCK ended in mid-1988 with issue # 422 (the ironically-titled "Rehearsal For Death" with Joe, Andy and Adam Kubert collaborating on the art and color) but was revived almost immediately as a reprint series for a 21-issue issue run from 1988-1991. A pair of brand-new SGT. ROCK SPECIALs were published in 1992 and 1994. Chuck Dixon followed up the latter's "Battle of the Bulge" theme with a second Rock story set in that period as part of Christmas 1997's DCU HOLIDAY BASH II. Six months after SGT. ROCK # 422, Rick Veitch had penned an unusual Sgt. Rock episode for SWAMP THING # 82, set on May 1, 1945. It seemed that Frank had survived the war in Europe though whether he and Easy were shipped to the Pacific remains undocumented.

The modern successors to Easy Company had first appeared in BRAVE & BOLD # 108 and 117 (the latter also checking in on some of the surviving WW2 vets) and returned during DC's 1988 "Invasion!" sequence with a role in FIRESTORM # 80 and STARMAN (first series) # 5. The legendary sergeant's fate would not even be hinted at in the modern DC Universe -- until General Rock reappeared in 2001's SUPERMAN # 166.

The closest that Kanigher ever came to a last Easy story was in 1987's "Sons of Easy," an Andy Kubert-illustrated two-parter in SGT. ROCK # 417-418. In a prophetic dream, Frank found himself and Easy surviving both World War Two and the Korean War only to have their offspring perish in a veritable bloodbath in 1968-era Vietnam. Profoundly shaken, Frank confessed to Horace "Bulldozer" Canfield that the nightmare was "so bad -- I can still taste it."

"What could be worse than this war ?"

"Maybe it's not learnin' a lesson from this killin', Bulldozer, I don't know. I don't remember. Maybe it's just as well. Maybe there are some dreams we're lucky not to remember. This is our war. The one we're stuck with. The one we've gotta fight to a finish. Let's go -- Easy!"

Our Fighting Forces

by John Wells

Note: Characters are grouped by the War in which they fought. (i.e. Sgt Rock is grouped with the WWII heroes).

The Revolutionary War

The Convict Corps (created by Bill Finger, Fred Ray and Bob Brown) was a group of Revolutionary War-era prisoner commandos. The group consisted of condemned pirate Redbeard, the murderous Weasel, a Native American outcast named Dark Cloud, the sinister recluse known as the Hermit and temperamental strongman Wee Willie. Dark Cloud, the Hermit and Wee Willie all perished on their mission to defeat a "Gator God" and an 18th Century incarnation of the War Wheel. Inspired by the sacrifice of their teammates and the example of Tomahawk's Rangers, the newly pardoned Weasel and Redbeard vowed to enlist in the army and continue the fight against the British. The former buccaneer Redbeard had aspirations of joining Captain John Paul Jones (Tomahawk # 105).

Daniel G. Hunter

was the cousin of famed time master Rip Hunter, who decided to stay in the Revolutionary War-era United States after traveling through time to 1770 (Time Masters # 4). Alongside freedom fighter Tomahawk (Tom Haukins a.k.a. Thomas Hawke and Tom Hawk), Dan Hunter achieved legendary status in American history, with dozens of adventures over the course of the war (Star Spangled Comics # 69-30, World's Finest Comics # 33-35, 65-88, 90-101 and Tomahawk # 1-92). Dan came into his own after Tomahawk had begun to accumulate a group of allies known as the Rangers. Hunter's involvement with the unit became less frequent (Tomahawk # 95, 99, 100-101, 105, 113-114, 116, 119) as he was called upon to carry out solo missions.

Despite the belief of his friend, Tomahawk, that Dan had been tied to a tree and skinned alive (Swamp Thing # 86), Dan apparently survived to an unnaturally old age (a possible side effect of his time traveling), living long enough to provide his heirs with a fortune of treasures that included an inscribed copy of "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court," published in 1889 (Time Masters # 1).

The Ghost Patrol

was a band of orphaned young freedom fighters during the Revolutionary War. Their members included Jack Birch, Jim Bell, Joe Carson and Johnny Little. Johnny later discovered that his parents were still alive and returned to his home. The other members of the Patrol were "promoted...to drummer boys in the continental army" (World's Finest Comics # 69).

Tomahawk

was one of the most renowned heroes of the Revolutionary War, participating in dozens of wartime exploits alongside Dan Hunter and a crew of freedom fighters known as the Rangers (Star Spangled Comics # 69-30, World's Finest Comics # 33-35, 65-88, 90-101 and Tomahawk # 1-130). Perhaps his greatest foes were a Redcoat known as Lord Gerald Shilling (Tomahawk # 28, 43, 44, 52, 56, 64, 68, 75, 86; Unknown Soldier # 262-264) and Lady Shilling a.k.a. the Hood (Tomahawk # 96, 110, 111). Though most accounts indicate that Thomas Haukins (otherwise known as Thomas Hawke or Tom Hawk) had begun to carve out his legend as Tomahawk by the latter 1760s and joined forces with Dan Hunter in 1770 (Time Masters # 4), one legend tells of Haukins not taking his famous persona until a spiritual awakening in the winter of 1773-1774 (Vertigo Visions - Tomahawk # 1).

Upon the resolution of the Revolutionary War, Tomahawk headed west

for a time (Tomahawk # 134) but eventually returned to the original American colonies. In a deep state of depression, Tom had a final clash with Lord Shilling in the first hours of January 1, 1800 and agreed to accompany Moon Fawn and her brother Wise Owl to their village in Echo Valley. They eventually became the parents of Hawk (Swamp Thing # 86) and Young Eagle (Tomahawk # 131). Although the circumstances of his death are unrecorded, Tomahawk lived long enough to see his eldest son grown to manhood and often fought at his side (Tomahawk # 131-140). Perhaps the most accurate account of the hero's life can be found in his son's autobiography, "Hawk, Son of Tomahawk" (Swamp Thing # 85-87).

Matt Willis and Horseshoe both died in action (Tomahawk # 116 and 128, respectively) but most of the other Rangers survived to see the end of the war before going their separate ways (Tomahawk # 134). Sadly, Big Anvil had been left mentally disabled when "his skull was creased by a cannonball" during the war. In the postwar years, he retained a degree of independence while being cared for by his friend, Stovepipe (Tomahawk # 132).

The Civil War

"The Deserter"

(created by Gerry Conway, Dick Ayers and Romeo Tanghal) was Aaron Hope, a Union soldier who was so sickened by his experiences in the Civil War that he fled the Army, now "rid(ing) the West unarmed, having vowed never to take a man who life" (as described in The Comic Reader # 158). Hope was relentlessly pursued by a man determined to "bring him to justice dead or alive."

"The Deserter" had been slated to debut during the fall of 1978 in Showcase # 107-109. Instead, in June of that year, the decision was made to give him an ongoing title. In the wake of the "DC Implosion," June 22's purge of the DC line-up, all untested new titles were uniformly cancelled and The Deserter # 1 was shelved. The contents of the first issue appeared only in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade # 1.

Jonah Woodson Hex

(created by John Albano, Joe Orlando, Carmine Infantino and Tony DeZuniga) was a lieutenant in the Confederate Army during the Civil War (Jonah Hex # 8, 30, 35, 37; Weird Western Tales # 29) but reached a crossroads after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

Jonah decided to surrender to Union officials at Fort Charlotte without betraying his fellow Confederate soldiers, but his innocent plan went spectacularly wrong. The Union soldiers were able to locate and capture the Confederates because of clay on Hex's horseshoes and manipulated Jonah into breaking them out of prison, enabling the Union Army to gun them down.

Jonah was not killed but survivors would forever blame him for the "Fort Charlotte massacre" (WWT # 29-30). For years to come, Jonah Hex was pursued by agents of Quentin Turnbull (WWT # 22-23, 26, 29-30; JH # 2, 4, 35-36, 47, 54-55, 76-82), the father of Jonah's best friend, Jeb, who perished at Fort Charlotte. There is some evidence that Hex may have actually rejoined the Confederacy for the duration of the war, based on a reported sighting on him in 1864 (The Kents # 8).

In his post-war years, Jonah became a legendary bounty hunter, still clad in his Confederate grays (All-Star Western # 10-11; Weird Western Tales # 12-14, 16-38; Jonah Hex # 1-92; DC Special Series # 16, 21; Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such # 1-5; Jonah Hex: Shadows West # 1-3; Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo # 1-5) and sporting a hideous facial scar that was inflicted on him for killing a sinister Kiowa named Noh-Tante (JH # 8). Though he tended not to leave his opponents alive, Hex did have a few recurring foes beyond Turnbull and the Fort Charlotte Brigade, notably the Chameleon (JH # 4, 15) and El Papagayo (JH # 2, 9-10, 54-55, 71-72, 81-82).

In time, Jonah met (JH # 23) and married Mei Ling (JH # 45), who subsequently gave birth to their son, Jason (JH # 51). Appalled by Jonah's inability to leave his bounty-hunting days behind, Mei Ling eventually left her husband (JH # 53). In 1875, Jonah vanished from the town of Red Dog (JH # 92) and was transported to the mid-21st century (Hex # 1-18). Eventually, Hex was able to return to the 19th century and remarried to a young woman named Tall Bird. Born on November 1, 1838, Jonah Hex was 66 years old when he was shot and killed by George Barrow in 1904. In the aftermath, a ghoulish sideshow owner stole Hex's body and had it stuffed for an exhibit (DC Special Series # 16). The history of Jonah Hex was subsequently recorded in a book by a Princeton University professor named Lawrence (Secret Origins # 21). In recent months, there has been evidence to suggest that Jonah's spirit is being channeled through a fashion model named Hex (Superboy [current] # 54-55, 70-75).

Matt Savage

(created by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Joe Giella) was an Army scout in the Civil War who served as trail boss over a series of cattle drives beginning in December of 1866 (Western Comics # 77-84). By the end of the decade, Savage had assembled a diverse crew made up of a number of veterans, among them Clay Dixon (who served with the Confederacy) and Jim Grant (who was with the Union). Former Confederate soldier Jebediah Kent also passed through Savage's company in 1869 (The Kents # 11). Matt has occasionally been confused with an older relative for whom he was named. The other Matt Savage, father of Brian "Scalphunter" Savage and Samatha Savage, died in 1862 (Weird Western Tales # 39).

Nathaniel and Jebediah Kent

(created by John Ostrander, Timothy Truman and Michael Bair) each served in the Civil War -- but on opposing sides. Nate, long an advocate of abolishing slavery as was his father Silas, fought on behalf of the Union, while Jeb, a troubled soul who'd become an outlaw, served with the Confederacy (The Kents # 5-8). The feud between the brothers didn't reach its end until years after the war. On September 5, 1874, Jeb rode into Smallville, Kansas with his gang, including his son, Taylor. Nate, now the town's sheriff, pointed a gun at Jeb but ultimately lowered his weapon, recognizing that he couldn't open fire on his sibling. The murderous Taylor had no such reservations and fired at his uncle, leading to a gun battle in which the boy mortally wounded his father. Details of Nate's later life are largely unrecorded but he is known to have survived until at least 1894 (The Kents # 12). His family history was later pieced together by his descendant, Jonathan Kent, adoptive father of Clark (Superman) Kent (The Kents # 1-12).

Captain Jeff Graham

(created by Alex Toth and Bernard Sachs) followed up on his Army service in the Civil War by becoming a Texas Ranger. During the late 1860s, the Roving Ranger rode a horse named Fury throughout Texas, reporting to a commanding officer named Major Hawks (All Star Western # 58-61, 63-65). Among the villains that the Roving Ranger brought to justice were El Dorado, a costumed bandit who was revealed to have served under Graham during the war (# 59), the Robber Rangers and the Commander (# 60) and the Rio Kid and Laughin' Joe Sully (# 61). When last seen, Graham had been temporarily pulled into the 20th Century thanks to the time-distorting events of the Crisis On Infinite Earths (All-Star Squadron # 54-55).

The Trigger Twins

(created by Bob Kanigher, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella) were the outgoing, rowdy Walt and his quiet, scholarly brother Wayne. The siblings fought in the Civil War, with Wayne settling in as a Private while Walt soon became a Lieutenant. Walt's exaggerated exploits during the war (based on actions that Wayne had taken) eventually catapulted him into the position of sheriff in Rocky City while his brother ran a general store. Rather than risk seeing his brother killed and the town overrun by outlaws, Wayne agreed to a charade. Thought Walt was officially the sheriff, Wayne impersonated him whenever the need arose (Secret Origins # 48). Their collective actions became the stuff of legend (All Star Western # 58-116).

World War One

"The Balloon Buster"

(created by Bob Kanigher and Russ Heath) was Lt. Steven Henry Savage of the Army Air Corps. The son of the 19th Century legend Brian "Scalphunter" Savage, Steve was actually raised by a poor farmer named Jennings, who constantly urged the boy to concentrate on his gift for marksmanship. "When yuh shoot -- forget you've got eyes -- arms -- legs ... forget about your heart beatin' -- yore lungs breathin. Yore not a human any more -- yore th' gun!" Steve took those words to heart when he flew over the trenches during World War One, his adoptive father's words ringing in his ears as he broke ranks to blast German combat balloons. Depending on the official, the so-called Balloon Buster was alternately threatened with a discharge and praised as a maverick hero (All-American Men of War # 112-114, 116). During his time in Europe, Savage even fought a few inconclusive battles with Germany's "Enemy Ace," Hans von Hammer (Star-Spangled War Stories # 181-183; Unknown Soldier # 262-267).

Following the end of World War One, Savage returned to the United States and opened an aerodome named Rochelle Field (in honor of his fiancée, who had been murdered during the war). During a fever outbreak several years later, Steve Savage flew into the clouds to investigate an alleged "dragon" that was said to caused the epidemic. Savage was never heard from again. Rochelle Field was subsequently renamed Savage Field and a book, Harold Jennings' "I Am a Gun: The Biography of Steve Savage, Balloon Buster," recounted the history of the war hero (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual # 7).

Charles "Doiby" Dickles

(created by Bill Finger and Irwin Hasen) was born circa 1900 and was old enough to have served in World War One. His tour of duty worked to his advantage in December of 1941 when he attempted to re-enlist in the Army to join his pal, Alan Scott (whom he'd first met, as the Green Lantern, earlier in the year in All-American Comics # 27). Doiby was rejected as unfit until he met an old comrade that he served with in the Great War. Doiby's special skills, including his ability to contact GL whenever the army needed him, guaranteed him a spot in the army (Green Lantern [first series] # 4). After Alan's discharge later in 1942, Doiby was determined to stay by his friend's side. By faking weakness, the roly-poly cab driver was booted out of the army for being overage (GL # 7).

Doiby, along with his cab Goitrude, remained a staunch ally of Green Lantern throughout the 1940s but his whereabouts over the next several decades are unaccounted for. One theory (mine!) even places him in Keystone City at the point that a trio of villains placed the community into an ageless limbo for generations (as seen in Secret Origins # 50). In any event, Doiby was at Green Lantern's side about a decade ago when the Emerald Warrior encountered visitors from the world of Myrg. A mutual attraction sprang up between Doiby and the planet's Princess Ramia and they decided to marry (Green Lantern [second series] # 45). After years on Myrg, Doiby was briefly forced to return to Earth after a planetary revolution and participated in the formation of a team of ex-sidekicks known as Old Justice. With the help of his team's teen counterparts, Young Justice, Doiby was able to return to Myrg and his beloved "Princeress" (Young Justice # 16-17, 19; YJ: Sins of Youth # 1-2; YJ # 20, 25-28).

"Enemy Ace"

(created by Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert) was the appellation placed on Germany's World War One aerial ace, Rittmeister Hans Von Hammer (Our Army At War # 151, 153, 155; Showcase # 57-58; Star-Spangled War Stories # 138-150, 152, 181-183, 200; Men of War # 1-3, 8-10, 12-14, 19-20; Unknown Soldier # 251-253, 260-261, 265-267; Christmas with the Super-Heroes # 2). With an astonishing 70+ kills to his credit, the Enemy Ace shunned accolades and followed a strict code of honor and conduct in his aerial duels.

Von Hammer's immediate post-war activities are largely unknown, save for a 1927 adventure on Dinosaur Island, involving Bat Lash and Biff Bradley (Guns of the Dragon # 1-4). In May of 1942, the famed Enemy Ace was convinced to fight on Germany's behalf in World War Two despite his personal disgust with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement (Enemy Ace: War In Heaven # 1). A crash landing at the Dachau concentration camp had a profound effect on Von Hammer and he, along with those in his command, surrendered to Sgt. Frank Rock in the spring of 1944 (EA: WIH # 2). The former Enemy Ace spent his final days in a German rest home, where he recounted his World War One exploits to a reporter. Von Hammer died in late 1969 (Enemy Ace: War Idyll). Millionaire Bruce Wayne later bankrolled a film project about the legendary flyer, but it's unknown whether the sabotage-plagued project was ever completed (Detective Comics # 404).

The Hangman

(created by Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert) was Andre de Sevigne, a French ace who fought a series of aerial battles with German pilot Hans von Hammer during World War One (Star-Spangled War Stories # 138-140; Swamp Thing # 83). The Hangman seemed to perish in a battle with his German counterpart, inspiring his sister, Denise, to attempt to avenge him as the Harpy (SSWS # 142). Though he survived, the Hangman seemed to have become mentally unbalanced as a result and appeared to die once again at the hands of von Hammer (SSWS # 145).

The Hunter

(created by Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert) was a Canadian flying ace who perished after German pilot Hans von Hammer caused his plane to crash (Showcase # 57).

The One-Eyed Cat

(created by Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert) was a French ace who was blasted from the sky by Germany's Hans von Hammer, presumably to his death (Showcase # 58).

Rip Graves

was "reported dead in the first World War (and) learn(ed) he is honored as the Unknown Soldier." Now based out of his crypt, Graves took the costumed persona of the Ghost of Flanders (created by George Brenner) during late 1941 and 1942 (Hit Comics # 18-25).

Sgt. John Michael Rock

(created by Bob Kanigher and Russ Heath), who was glimpsed in Our Army At War # 275 and Sgt. Rock # 414, was killed by a sniper in France in 1918 (Sgt. Rock # 419). He was survived by his wife, Mary (OAAW # 231), and six children, Amy (SR # 417), Ann (SR # 417), Eddie (OAAW # 231), Josh (OAAW # 158), Larry (Our Fighting Forces # 95) and John Franklin, who was destined to become a second-generation Sgt. Rock in World War Two (OAAW # 81).

World War Two:

Lt. Tex "Spitfire" Adams

began his comics career as a stateside transport pilot (1941's Crack Comics # 15) but his patriotism soon induced him to the sign up as a pilot with U.S. forces, where he attained the rank of lieutenant. When last seen in late 1942, he was based in China and had just captured a Japanese major, whom he strapped to the wing of his plane (Crack # 27).

Alan Wellington Ladd Scott

(created by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger) had been Green Lantern for more than a year and a half when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. Previously, he recalled, he'd "registered for the draft but they deferred me -- Class 2-1! I'm a radio engineer and they marked that 'essential industry.'" After thwarting a post-Pearl Harbor invasion of the U.S. mainland, Alan once again tried to enlist and successfully joined the Army, followed shortly thereafter by Doiby Dickles (Green Lantern [first series] # 4). Near the end of 1942, Alan was honorably discharged. "You're one of the finest engineers in America...and America needs you. Therefore, you're appointed as a 'trouble shooter' attached to civilian radio...to see to it that radio always gets thru and is kept working" (GL # 7). Alan remains active today, now under the new alias of Sentinel, in the pages of JSA and elsewhere.

The Americommando

(created by Bernard Baily) was Harry "Tex" Thomson, an oil millionaire (Action Comics # 1-32). Seemingly killed in a 1940 shipping disaster, Thomson kept his survival a secret for months while operating under the guise of Mister America (Action # 33). Within months of joining the All-Star Squadron (A-SS # 31), Thomson was asked to become a spy for the United States by President Roosevelt and take the new codename of Americommando. In late June of 1942, Americommando resigned from the Squadron and headed for Berlin (Secret Origins # 29; Young All-Stars # 27; Action # 54-74), where he posed as Nazi officers in an effort to sabotage their war machine.

Thomson was believed to have been killed in February of 1945 during the bombings of Dresden (National Comics [second series] # 1) but, as in 1940, he had survived. At an indeterminate point some years later, Thomson (as "The Coordinator") created an agency staffed by metahumans known as Hero Hotline, his real name ("Harry") known only to World War Two-era Hotline member Stretch (Action Comics Weekly # 637-640; Hero Hotline # 1-6). The Coordinator nearly revealed his true identity when the agency was attacked by an Americommando robot and Harry emphatically insisted that it wasn't the genuine article (HH # 4).

Lt. Commander Don Kerry and "Red" Murphy

(created by Fred Guardineer) were Naval officers under the command of Admiral Allen who starred in "Anchors Aweigh!" beginning in 1938 (New Adventure Comics # 28). Although their greatest victory was against the forces of South American revolutionary/Nazi El Diablo (New Adventure # 28 to Adventure # 37), Don and Red continued to fight wrongdoers and defend their country through at least May of 1940 (Adventure # 52).

(created by Frank Frollo) was a desert scout with the Royal Australian Air Corps, operating under Major Douglas and the Light Battalion in the Libyan Desert. He was generally joined in fighting Nazis by Britain's Sergeant Jack Bailey and Sudan's Private Achmed -- as well as a cantankerous mascot, a goat named Billy (Military Comics # 1). Atkins and company were last seen in August of 1941, when they freed the city of Benghazi (including Light Battalion) from Axis control and retaliated against Nazi forces in Sollum, Egypt (Military # 3).

Sergeant Jack Bailey

(created by Frank Frollo) was part of Britain's Royal Fusliers, operating under Major Douglas and the Light Battalion in the Libyan Desert (Military Comics # 1). Bailey and company were last seen in August of 1941, when they freed the city of Benghazi (including Light Battalion) from Axis control and retaliated against Nazi forces in Sollum, Egypt (Military # 3).

Private Achmed

(created by Frank Frollo) was part of the Sudanese Camel Corps, operating under Major Douglas and the Light Battalion in the Libyan Desert (Military Comics # 1).Achmed and company were last seen in August of 1941, when they freed the city of Benghazi (including Light Battalion) from Axis control and retaliated against Nazi forces in Sollum, Egypt (Military # 3).

Lt. Armstrong of the Army

(created by Ed Moore) was a member of U.S. Army Intelligence (Star Spangled Comics # 1). In the late fall of 1941, Armstrong found himself in the Central American country of Costa Blanca, where he faced sadistic Nazi animal trainer Mannfred Otto Jung (Star Spangled Comics # 6). Armstrong's activities during World War Two have yet to be chronicled.

Lt. Cassius "Black Eagle" Bannister

(created by Bob Kanigher, Dick Ayers and Romeo Tanghal) was an African-American pilot (All-Out War # 1-6) who was soon joined in the sky by a squadron that included Boxer, Hot Rod and Mississippi (# 3-6).

Post-war additions to the team included Pomeroy, Paco, Grover and, in the 1960s, Jimmy. The Blackhawks remained active until at least 1975 (Blackhawk Special # 1) but had evolved into Blackhawk Express by 1980 (Blackhawk Annual # 1).

Of the individual members, Boris, Ian and Zeg died early on (Secret Origins # 45) while Stan was killed when his plane exploded in 1943 (Blackhawk [second series] # 2).

Hendricksen was lost in a helicopter explosion in the spring of 1948 shortly after discovering he was the father of Natalie Reed's son, Jimmy (Blackhawk Annual # 1). Shortly after discovering a plot to kill President Kennedy, Andre was killed on November 11, 1963 by the assassin Hardwire (Blackhawk Special # 1). In the midst of the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975, Olaf disappeared, his whereabouts still unknown (Blackhawk Special # 1). Blackhawk himself was still around as recently as a decade ago when he participated in the short-lived second Seven Soldiers of Victory (Silver Age: Showcase # 1; Silver Age 80-Page Giant # 1).

Accepted into the Blackhawks on March 13, 1948 (Blackhawk [third series] # 2), Grover Baines was still a part of the group as late as 1968 (Blackhawk Special # 1). Part of an expedition to China that was intended by the government to be a suicide mission, Pomeroy remained with the Blackhawks upon their return to the U.S. He was captured by renegade government agents on June 29, 1948 and sent to a cryogenics vault. Unseen since that day, his survival remains in question (Blackhawk [third series] # 4-8).

A former member of Air Force Intelligence, Paco Herrera was tapped by Blackhawk on February 20-21, 1950 to join him on a mission to rescue the rest of the Blackhawks (Blackhawk [third series] # 10). He remained with the team at least through mid-1975 (Blackhawk Special # 1). Born in 1945, Jimmy Reed, the son of Ritter Hendricksen and Natalie Reed, joined the squadron as a young adult. He first served with the ground crew (circa 1963) and eventually as a pilot, sometime prior to 1975 (Blackhawk Special # 1).

In 1980, Weng Chan (who despised the nickname Chop-Chop) formed an elite air courier service, Blackhawk Express, with a secret board of directors that may include other former Blackhawks (Blackhawk Annual # 1). The company survives to the present.

In the same general time frame, a new team of Blackhawks was formed, assuming the names of Blackhawk, Andre, Chop-Chop, Chuck, Hendricksen, Olaf and Stan and fighting crimes in an era largely without active super-heroes. With the dawn of a new heroic era spearheaded by the Justice League of America, the new Blackhawks briefly considered following suit but soon thought better of the idea (JLA: Year One # 2, 8, 11). This team's ties to Zinda "Lady Blackhawk" Blake, who materialized in the present after the "Zero Hour" incident, is unclear, particularly given the implication that she originated in the 1940s (Guy Gardner: Warrior # 24, 29).

The Blue Tracer

(created by Fred Guardineer) was an astonishing flying tank conceived by Captain "Wild Bill" Dunn, an American engineer with a British scouting division in Ethiopia. Dunn was left for dead in a brutal attack that took the lives of all his comrades but was rescued and nursed back to health by a native tribe and an Australian named "Boomerang" Jones, himself the sole survivor of the 25th Anzacs. Using material from confiscated fascist weaponry, Dunn and Jones constructed the Blue Tracer over the course of several months, culminating with its first flight in the summer of 1941 (Military Comics # 1). Impressed with Dunn and Jones' creation, military officials opted to turn a blind eye to the fact that the men were technically AWOL (# 2). Following a report by war correspondent Lola Thomas (# 5), the two men worked openly with British and U.S. military forces (# 6-7). The Tracer would eventually face Japanese and German counterparts of itself, as well (# 12-13). In its final recorded mission in late 1942, the Blue Tracer slammed into the U-1, "Hitler's greatest submarine," literally breaking it in half (# 16).

"Boomerang" Jones

(created by Fred Guardineer) was an Australian who joined forces with a tribe of Ethiopian natives to fight fascist forces after "my company, the 25th Anzacs, was wiped out. I'm reported dead, so why go back." As his name indicates, Jones was also an expert with the boomerang. Working with American engineer "Wild Bill" Dunn, Jones helped create the futuristic flying tank known as the Blue Tracer and served as Dunn's co-pilot in their subsequent missions (Military Comics # 1).

The Boy Commandos

(created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby), led by Captain Rip Carter, were formed around the time that the United States entered World War II. A collection of multinational orphans, their original roster consisted of Alfred "Alfy" Twidgett, Andre Chavard, Daniel "Brooklyn" Turpin and Jan Haasan. In 1945, just after the war's end, Jan left the group to rejoin his Uncle Peter in Holland. Alfy and Andre returned with Rip and Brooklyn to the United States (Boy Commandos # 13).

In 1947, Alfy returned to England to attend college and was replaced in the group by a young man named Tex (Boy Commandos # ). Andre left the group in 1949 to help his brother on their farm in France (Boy Commandos # 35). His replacement was Percy Clearweather, who had substituted for Andre on an adventure in 1947 (Boy Commandos # ). The collective 1940s adventures of the team can be found in Boy Commandos # 1-36, Detective Comics # 64-150 and World's Finest Comics # 8-41.

Andre Chavard worked his way up in the military, eventually becoming the commander of the spy agency, Department Gamma (Teen Titans Spotlight # 11). Alfy formed Statistical Occurrences, Limited, a specialized insurance company targeting "risks that somehow presume the involvement of so-called super-heroes and super-villains or other such para-normal forces." (Blue Beetle # 19).

Jan became a professor with the Center for Strategic Studies in the Hague. Rip Carter eventually reached the rank of General (Blue Beetle # 21). Daniel Turpin traded his "Brooklyn" nickname for that of "Terrible Turpin" (Who's Who '87 # 5), eventually joining Metropolis' Special Crimes Unit (Adventures of Superman Annual # 7).

"Brother With No Wings"

(created by Howard Liss and Russ Heath) flew into "The War That Time Forgot" on Dinosaur Island (Star-Spangled War Stories # 129, 131).

Captain Bruce Blackburn

, Counterspy (created by Harry Francis Campbell) was "the ace of Military Intelligence," whom cosmetic surgery had transformed into a double for his sometime-partner, Lt. Jackson. In late 1940, Blackburn was briefly caught up in the mystery-man fad when he took the persona of the Destroying Demon (Feature Comics # 39-40) but he soon returned to more practical garb. The Captain's exploits were chronicled from 1940 through early 1942 (Feature Comics # 32-56).

(created by Bob Kanigher and Irv Novick) was a P.T. boat commander (Captain Storm # 1-18) who, eyepatch and wooden leg aside, bore a striking resemblance to war hero John F. Kennedy, whom Storm later claimed to have known personally (Unknown Soldier # 257-259). Storm was part of the U.S.-sanctioned special force known as the Losers (G.I. Combat # 138; Our Fighting Forces # 123) but . was presumed dead in an explosion shortly after the group's formation (OFF # 135). Despite losing his right eye and suffering temporary memory loss, Storm survived (OFF # 141). A vision of the Losers' collective demise in the spring of 1944 notwithstanding (Crisis On Infinite Earths # 3), Storm survived until the spring of 1945. It was then that Captain Storm died as he shielded the rest of the Losers from an exploding grenade (Losers Special # 1).

Captain X of the Royal Air Force

(created by Jon L. Blummer) was secretly Richard "Buck" Dare, a London-based newspaper reporter who flew in a futuristic plane made of a clear plastic alloy and "powered by Uranium 237 - atomic energy" will clad in a colorful red, green and yellow flight suit (Star Spangled Comics # 1). The unofficial member of the R.A.F. flew six missions in the latter half of 1941 (SSC # 1-6).

(created by Jack Cole) began in 1941 with fired airline exec Del Van Dyne, who decided to leave the U.S. on the spur of the moment and head to England to help fight in the war. Discovering several escaped convicts aboard (Butch O'Keefe, Gramps, Hank, Peewee and Slick Ward), Del appealed to their patriotism in joining him in his mission. After watching the plane mow down several Nazi planes, the R.A.F. agreed to sponsor the men. Peewee died during their first adventure and Del sadly observed that "something tells me this is gonna be a death patrol... Say! That'd be a good name for us: The Death Patrol!" (Military Comics # 1)

Garbed in matching striped outfits (recalling most of the group's prison origins), the Patrol saw more members die in later episodes, sometimes new recruits (# 2), sometimes originals (like Slick, in # 3). After missing issues # 13-19, the Patrol returned in Military # 20, remaining through the comics' post-war re-christening as Modern Comics. The Death Patrol was last seen in mid-1946 (Modern # 52).

(created by Bob Kanigher and Jerry Grandinetti) was composed of Leonidas, Dickson, and Stefan Fredric Berg, three guerrillas assigned by British Military Intelligence to complete a mission that had spelled doom for two previous teams (Force One and Force Two). The squad succeeded and went on to complete at least fve more assignments (All-Out War # 1-6).

"Frogman"

(created by Scott Edelman and Fred Carrillo) was Robert Starr, a Navy diver who went AWOL after his squad of frogmen had perished on a mission. In 1942, Starr located in the Philippines and forced back into service to stop a threatening Japanese sub (Unknown Soldier # 219-221).

The Ghost Patrol

came into being when their mortal forms were killed while in action with the French Foreign Legion early in 1942. Now capable of flying, becoming invisible and/or intangible, Fred, Pedro and Slim lived on as the Ghost Patrol, thwarting the Axis until the end of World War Two and fighting crime at least through the end of 1948 (Flash Comics # 29-65, 69-104; Flash Comics Miniature). Fred's connection, if any, to the invisible being in Hero Hotline # 1-6 is unknown.

G.I. Robot

(created by Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito) was a mechanical man who was built in the laboratories of Project "M" in the spring of 1942 (Young All-Stars # 12, 28). Two early models were destroyed on missions to Dinosaur Island (Star-Spangled War Stories # 101-103, 125) before a third unit, Jungle Automatic Killer - Experimental 1 (or JAKE-1). He, too, survived only a short time before being destroyed (Weird War Tales # 101, 108, 111).

JAKE-2, proved the most durable of the G.I. Robots, carrying out at least seven recorded missions (Weird War Tales # 113, 115-118, 120, 122). In a perhaps apocryphal account, JAKE-2 and the Creature Commandos were spared from a government-directed death sentence to man a rocket aimed at Berlin. Instead, the rocket went radically off course and headed deep into outer space (Weird War Tales # 124). The skull of one G.I. Robot was subsequently seen in the trophy room of Nelson Strong (Swamp Thing # 145) while the entire body of another was on display in 30th Century Earth's Time and History Museum
(Legionnaires # 68)

Gravedigger

(created by David Michelinie, Ed Davis and Romeo Tanghal) was a black soldier named Ulysses Hazard in World War Two. Racism resulted in Hazard being prohibited from combat and assigned to the graveyard detail. Realizing that the exceptional physical skills he'd developed over a lifetime were being wasted, Hazard went AWOL and made an appeal to high-ranking officials in Washington. Now a so-called "one-man commando unit," Gravedigger went on to headline the entire 26 issue run of Men of War. He has not appeared since.

Guerrilla

was Mike Gibbs, a reporter in the Paris office of the New York Globe when the Nazis invaded the city in June of 1940. Moved by the courage of the French in the face of such brutality, Gibbs vowed to use his skill at disguise and vocal mimicry to wage "a one-man guerrilla war." (Adventure Comics # 84). As the war in Germany began to wind down, Gibbs moved his operations to China, where he assisted in fighting the Japanese. His final recorded mission in the weeks before Japan's surrender was the capture of Captain Namura (Adventure # 102).

Gunner MacKay and Sarge Clay

(created by Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito) were part of a Marine unit assigned to a Japanese-held island (All-American Men of War # 67-68; Our Fighting Forces # 45-94), occasionally joined by a dog named Pooch (beginning in OFF # 49). Gunner and Sarge were later part of the U.S.-sanctioned special force known as the Losers (G.I. Combat # 138; Our Fighting Forces # 123-181). Despite a vision of the Losers' collective demise in the spring of 1944 (Crisis On Infinite Earths # 3), the duo survived until the spring of 1945. In a final battle, Gunner and Sarge died within minutes of one another after being gunned down by enemy troops (Losers Special # 1).

The pair of soldiers was later immortalized in Jonathan Lord's 1949 film, "Gunner and Sarge" (Silverblade # 5). It could be argued that the events of the recent Creature Commandos # 1-8, which posit a third fate for the duo amidst divergent versions of various Justice League villains and the Commandos themselves, is itself a science fiction film retooling of the fabled war heroes.

"The Haunted Tank"

(created by Bob Kanigher and Russ Heath) gained its nickname thanks to its commander, Jeb Stuart, who openly communicated with the spirit of his namesake, Civil War general J.E.B. Stuart. Though gunner Rick Rawlins, driver Slim Stryker, and loader Arch Asher were unable to see the ghost, they humored their commander's eccentricities (G.I. Combat # 87). Indeed, the spririt seemed to be the tank's guardian angel. Eventually, though, their luck ran out. In 1943, Arch was killed as he saved from a German tank that was about to explode (GIC # 162). His replacement was Gus Gray, a soldier that the crew had first met only days earlier (# 160). Early in 1945, Slim Stryker also perished and was succeeded by Bill Craig (# 244). Soon after, Craig's son, Eddie, joined the crew, relieving Gus as loader so that could join Rick as a second gunner (# 251).

Jeb Stuart went on to become a General in the years following World War Two. Following the deaths of his cousin, Sharon, and her husband, Rick Flagg, Stuart also became the guardian of their son, Richard (Secret Origins # 14). The fates of Rick Rawlins, Gus Gray, Bill Craig and Eddie Craig remain unknown although the four men (or their spirits) and Stuart returned to action in the midst of the recent supernatural "Day of Judgment" (Anarky # 7).

An early manifestation of the time distortion incident known as "Zero Hour" brought the Tank's original crew back to life in the present, where Jeb's partners were now identified as Arch Stanton, Rick Parsons and Slim Kilkenny (The Demon # 46-48). Once the time stream was corrected, the Tank's history presumably reverted to its original state.

Lt. "Hop" Harrigan

(created by Jon L. Blummer) was a famous pilot as a teenager before he ever joined the Army Air Corps. The orphan was already a gifted amateur aviator when he met mechanic Ichabod "Ikky" Tinker and test pilot "Prop" Wash. It was the latter who gave young Harrigan his nickname All-American Comics # 1). A fight with his girl friend, Gerry Nye, led Hop to storm off in Prop's experimental new plane in early 1940 and fly directly towards the site where Chinese refugees were trying to flee invaders. At the urging of a missionary, Hop agreed to undertake a series of flights that would eventually bring all the homeless people to safety. Accompanying Hop on one of those flights was a New York reporter who turned the young man into an international celebrity overnight. A ticker tape parade greeted Hop Harrigan when he returned to the U.S. (All-American # 12).

Riding the crest of fame associated with his new plane, Prop Wash formed the All-American Aviation Company. Prop was President, Hop was Vice-President and Ikky was Treasurer. The company quickly racked up an impressive list of domestic and military accounts (All-American # 13). Hop's fame also attracted the attention of his abusive former guardian, Silas Crass, who went to court demanding that the boy and the money associated with his name be put in his custody. Thanks to Ikky, evidence was provided that Crass had never truly been authorized to be Harrigan's guardian and had forged papers to the contrary. In the aftermath, Prop Wash became Hop's new legal guardian (All-American # 14).

Like many others of the era, Hop was tempted to become a costumed adventurer and took the guise of Guardian Angel for a brief time in 1941 (All-American # 25-28). He soon decided to leave such activities to folks like the Justice Society of America, whom he met later in the year (All-Star Comics # 8). In 1945, Hop had one more dalliance with costumed crimefighting as the Black Lamp (All-American # 78).

When the U.S. entered World War Two, Hop, Tank (formerly Ikky) and Prop each joined the Army Air Corps, taking on both Nazis and Japanese forces between 1942 and 1945. At one point, in May of 1942, Hop was even called upon to ferry several members of the All-Star Squadron to Alaska (Young All-Stars # 8). Once he'd returned to the homefront, Hop continued to find adventure in stories chronicled through May of 1948 (All-American # 99).

(created by Bob Kanigher and Irv Novick) was a famed naval pilot (first seen in All-American Men of War # 82-117) whose pride in his Navajo heritage was reflected in the name of his squadron, the Happy Braves (AAMoW # 82). Cloud was later part of the U.S.-sanctioned special force known as the Losers (G.I. Combat # 138; Our Fighting Forces # 123-181). Despite a vision of the Losers' collective demise in the spring of 1944 (Crisis On Infinite Earths # 3), Johnny survived to fight in December of 1944's Battle of the Bulge (Sgt. Rock Special [second series] # 2). In the spring of 1945, Johnny was shot and killed by enemy troops, dying moments after his comrades in the Losers (Losers Special # 1).

Johnny Cloud lives on in the present in the form of a namesake descendant, S.T.A.R. Labs' scientist John Cloud (Hawkworld # 24, 26).

Judomaster

was Sgt. Ripley Jagger (created by Frank McLaughlin), who spent much of World War Two stationed in Japan during 1944 (Special War Series # 4), the secret of his costumed alter-ego known only to his commanding officer General Hawkins (Judomaster # 89-90). Early in his career, Judomaster took a partner, an American youngster of Japanese descent whom Jagger nicknamed Tiger (Judomaster # 91-98).

In December of 1945, angry at being denied the right to return Tiger to the United States, Jagger quit the military and he and his partner became drifters across the Asian continent. After an angry parting with Tiger in 1953, Rip discovered the mystical land of Nanda Parbat, whose unique environment kept him from aging (The L.A.W. # 4). Commanded to stop "a monstrous evil" that he had unwittingly unleashed, Judomaster again entered the outside world (The L.A.W. # 1) and faced the threat of a now villainous Tiger (The L.A.W. # 1-6).

A body of conflicting evidence casts some doubt as to whether the events of The L.A.W. are canonical, notably the facts that Nanda Parbat was destroyed prior to Judomaster's return (Deadman [second series] # 4), Tiger's role in training Nightshade (Captain Atom # 89) and the inference that Tiger was the second Judomaster (Justice League Quarterly # 12).

Kana

(created by Bob Kanigher and E.R. Cruz) was a ninja who had offered his services to the O.S.S. during World War Two after a Japanese official ordered the death of his parents (G.I. Combat # 232, 239, 246-247, 252, 255, 264-266, 272, 279). His post-war status is unrecorded.

Lady Jade

(created by Bob Haney, Dick Ayers and Gerry Talaoc) was a Chinese pirate reminiscent of the Dragon Lady. An encounter with the Unknown Soldier in the latter half of World War Two led to the couple becoming lovers and Lady Jade agreed to join the battle against the Japanese (Unknown Soldier # 254-255). The Soldier and Jade had only one documented later encounter, when he rescued her from Nazi captivity (US # 261).

Larry and Charlie

(created by Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito) made two assaults on Dinosaur Island during World War Two (Star-Spangled War Stories # 90 and 92).

Lt. Bob Neal of Sub. 662

(created by B. Hirsch and Rusty Lehman) and his friend Tubby Potts found adventure in seaports around the world from 1938 to 1940 in More Fun Comics # 36-63. The sub was commandeered by Admiral Grant, whose daughter, Patricia, dated Bob. As other Americans evacuated war-torn Moravia in late 1940, Bob and Tubby remained behind to help the beleaguered country's King Peter (More Fun # 61-63).

Lt. Larry Rock

(created by Bob Kanigher and Irv Novick) served with the Marines on the island of Bataan and had a steel splinter imbedded in his forehead thanks to an exploding grenade. After months of refusing medical treatment, Rock was sent to a Swiss hospital for treatment after a chance encounter with General MacArthur. Larry was abducted by Nazis, who sought information on MacArthur's strategies, but was rescued by his brother, Sgt. Frank Rock. Still in shock, Larry leaped from a cable car above the Alps to his apparent death just as he and Frank were about to reach safety (Sgt. Rock Annual # 2). Larry was later discovered alive in a small hospital in Villiers, France. Left catatonic by his plunge from the cable car, Larry was returned to the United States for treatment, accompanied by his sister, Amy (Sgt. Rock # 421). No details have been revealed regarding his subsequent rehabilitation.

"Loops" McCann and Lt. "Banks" Barrows

(created by Bud Ernest) were test pilots at a Marine base in China until they took a U.S. fighter aircraft into the sky for a joyride. Unaware that the plane had been saboataged by Japanese soldiers, Barrows ended up making a crash landing and the two men were discharged from the spot and left to their own devices. They initially hooked up with the Black Dragon Squadron, a unit of Chinese aviators (Military Comics # 1) but soon ended up back with the Marines as pilots based out of the Philippine Islands (# 2). For their heroic efforts in thwarting a major Japanese invasion of Alaska in the fall of 1942, Loops and Banks were awarded the Medal of Honor (Military # 13). Their subsequent activities have yet to be recorded.

Mademoiselle Marie

(created by Bob Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti) was one of the most legendary figures in France's resistance movement (Star-Spangled War Stories # 84-91. Despite the claims of a Parisian woman that Marie was shot on August 24, 1944, the eve of the city's liberation, and later gave birth to a baby (Detective Comics # 501-502), the heroine is known to been active at least through Sgt. Rock Special [second series] # 2). Her subsequent activities, including the status of her romantic relationship with Sgt. Frank Rock (Sgt. Rock # 412, 421) is still unknown.

Captain Marie Hwart

was a Polish freedom fighter who arrived in Paris just weeks before the June 1940 Nazi invasion to begin organizing an underground movement. She soon found herself allied with reporter Mike Gibbs, who vowed to fight the fascists himself as "Guerrilla" (Adventure Comics # 84). After her second meeting with Gibbs in 1943 (# 87), Marie dyed her blonde hair black and infiltrated the Ovra (the Italian secret police) while her younger sister Sonia assumed her identity. Mike learned of the identity exchange in late 1943 when he rescued Sonia (whom the Axis believed was Captain Hwart) with the secret assistance of the disguised Marie. Insisting that she had "much work still to do as an Ovra agent," Marie asked Gibbs to tie her up so that the Axis wouldn't suspect her of being a double agent. Thanks to the receipt of plans stolen by Marie, Polish guerrillas were able to bomb a Nazi troop train and the U.S. Army Air Force successfully destroyed an enemy convoy (Adventure # 90). It's unknown whether Marie Hwart survived her dangerous role as a double-agent.

Sgt. Patrick Martin of the Marines

(created by John Daly) saw fierce action in the south Pacific during the first half of 1943, aided by the kids who bought the war bonds that paid for his company's mortar shells (World's Finest Comics # 9) and his girl friend, who donated blood which saved his life when he was critically wounded by enemy fire (# 10). Martin's status in the wake of being wounded is undocumented.

The Minute Commandos

were Sarge and Corp (created by Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito), a pair of soldiers who were shrunk to the dimensions of Doll Man (All-American Men of War # 74).

Monsieur X

(created by Al McWilliams) was a mysterious Frenchman in a domino mask who terrorized the Nazis throughout France during 1941, leaving his mark in restricted areas to convince the Axis that they weren't secure anywhere. After rescuing more than 100 British soldiers from a Nazi prison ship in November of 1941, Monsieur X refused to sail with them back to England. Insisting that this was not an option ("There is work for me to do in my beloved France"), Monsieur X dived into the ocean and was reported dead. In Calais, the resistance fighter's nemesis, Commandant Schteig, read the news with delight only to enter his office and find a huge "X" painted on his desk (Military Comics # 6).

Nick Carstairs

(created by Cary Burkett, Dick Ayers and Dan Adkins) was an airman alongside pilot Captain James Gregory, and crew members Perry Winters and Chris Gordon aboard the Ruptured Duck. The aerial counterpart to the land's Haunted Tank and the sea's Phantom Clipper, the Ruptured Duck was a seemingly enchanted flying fortress which served as its crew's guardian angel (Unknown Soldier # 246-248).

Following the dissolution of the O.S.S. in October of 1945, President Truman replaced it with the C.I.A. in 1946. The Blackhawks accepted funding from a covert branch of the C.I.A., the Office of Special Operations, in 1947 (Action Comics Weekly # 630-631) only to be targeted as subversives in 1948 (Blackhawk [third series] # 4). After a disastrous chain of events, Blackhawk finally severed his ties with the O.S.O. in 1950 (Blackhawk # 16).

In 1951, seeking to fill the void left by the retired Justice Society, Truman created Task Force X. Its domestic branch, Argent, was headed up by Control while the international branch, the revived Suicide Squad, was put under the command of General Jeb Stuart (Secret Origins # 14). After confronting and arranging the murder of a government official indirectly responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy, Control ordered all records of Argent destroyed and pulled the organization deeply undercover. Eventually Control died but his granddaughter maintained the pretense that he was still alive to keep the group operating. A confrontation with the Suicide Squad exposed the deception and an embattled Argent disbanded. At the end, only six members, including Falcon, were still active (Suicide Squad Annual # 1).

Ona Tornsen

(created by Bob Kanigher and John Severin) was a Norwegian resistance fighter who joined the Losers after the death of her father and the destruction of her community. She served with the Losers during two separate intervals (Our Fighting Forces # 135-145 and OFF # 173 to Unknown Soldier # 265). Although she was not present in the battle that took the lives of her fellow Losers (Losers Special # 1), Ona's fate is unknown.

The Phantom Clipper

(created by Fred Kida) was, in a sense, the Navy's equivalent of the Army's "Haunted Tank" and the Air Corps' "Ruptured Duck" but there was nothing truly other-worldly about the ancient-looking sea vessel. In the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, elderly Captain Seth Perkins had donated the sailing ship to the Navy, evoking laughs from Lt. "Tiger" Shark and his crew -- until Perkins revealed the modern armaments and engine beneath its humble exterior (not unlike Captain Foghorn's "Q-Boat," the Albatross).

Adding to its impact was a smoke machine that cloaked the Clipper and created an eerie sight as it sailed out of the fog. When the crew's Destroyer was stolen by Nazis, Lt. Shark realized that the Phantom Clipper was the only vessel that could catch it. After the successful trial run, Lt. Shark took command of the Clipper (Military Comics # 9). In its last recorded mission at the end of 1942, the crew of the Phantom Clipper took on a so-called "ghost fleet," a pack of Nazi subs that the Nazi believed to have been sunk but which had survived to inflict further terror (Military # 16).

PT Boat-1

was the unlikely setting for the friendship between two wildly different Annapolis graduates, thrill seeking, fun-loving Ensign Perry Tobias and serious, altruistic Ensign Paul Harvey (no relation to the famous broadcaster). Unlikely not only because of their disparate personalities but because Perry had stolen Paul's girl friend on the day they graduated.

The two men snapped at each other continuously until they found themselves forced to run a gauntlet of Japanese destroyers that took the lives of everyone else on PT-1. Paul carried Perry's wounded body to a base hospital and paced the halls until his friend regained consciousness. Miraculously, a bullet that would have pierced Perry's heart was deflected by a wooden frame in his pocket -- containing the picture of the girl he'd stolen from Paul (Military Comics # 17). The Ensigns and the rest of MTB Squadron Six remained in action through the end of World War Two (late 1945's Military # 46). Their post-war activities are unknown.

The Q-Boat

(created by Henry Carl Kiefer) was an innocuous-looking four-masted schooner manned by the grandfatherly and equally unimposing Captain Foghorn and three youngsters, Dick Martin, Marmaduke Van Weyden and Bob Wayne. In fact, Foghorn's son-in-law had equipped the vessel with state-of-the-art engines, armor and weapons, enabling the good ship Albatross to sink the Nazi battleship "Kaiser Adolf" in the summer of 1941. Captain Foghorn, a descendant of John Paul Jones, and his crew were not seen again after thwarting a Nazi attack on Iceland (Military Comics # 1) but the concept of the Q-Boat lived on in the form of the Phantom Clipper, a craft piloted by Captain Tiger Shark (Military # 9).

The Red Dragon

(created by Bud Ernest) was General Cheng, a Chinese aviator who fought the Japanese invaders alongside his Red Dragon Squadron. Cheng recruited able pilots whenever the opportunity presented itself and his unit was graced by disgraced test pilots Loops McCann and Banks Barrows in the summer of 1941 (Military Comics # 1).

Red, White and Blue

were Marine "Red" Dugan, Army man "Whitey" Smith and Naval officer "Blooey" Blue, three friends from rural Oakville who crossed paths with government agent Doris West in February of 1939. The trio proved to be so resourceful that G-2 put them "on special duty to work as a unit to ferret out spy activities" (All-American Comics # 1). After dozens of exploits over the next several years, usually alongside Doris (All-American # 1-69, 71; All-Star Comics # 1-2; Comic Cavalcade # 1-2, 5-7, 11-12; New York World's Fair 1940; World's Finest Comics # 1-7), Red, White and Blue completed their final recorded case in early 1946 (All-American # 71).

Captain Richard Montgomery Flag

(created by Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito) had been the only member of his flying squadron to survive an attack on a Japanese flat-top. Haunted by the memory of his comrades, Flag became a tough taskmaster, demanding the best out of those in his command. Rick's qualities led the War department to assign him to lead the Suicide Squadron on its missions to Dinosaur Island and, despite some tense moments, the Captain turned the unit around. "Their effectiveness increased and their mortality rate dropped." After the war, Rick married Sharon Race, the cousin of his friend and Haunted Tank commander Jeb Stuart, and they soon had a son, Richard Rogers Flag.

The elder Rick was subsequently tapped to head up a revived Suicide Squad during the Korean War. Tragedy overtook his life, though, when Sharon was killed in a car accident. It's since been speculated that her husband took on a rather fatalistic outlook in his subsequent Squad missions, thus explaining his fatal dive into the War Wheel two years after Sharon's death. Years later, Richard Rogers Flag would lead two new incarnations of the Suicide Squad (Secret Origins # 14).

Robert Boothe

(created by Bob Rozakis and Dan Spiegle) was an operative of the Army Secret Service. In 1941, he discovered the existence of a device that enabled Nazi spy Hans Kruger to channel his spirit into the bodies of others and possess them. On Sept. 22, an American experiment to duplicate the device went awry and Boothe was killed. The agent's spirit survived, however, and gained the power of possession that the United States had sought. On Sept. 24, Boothe prevented the assassination of President Roosevelt, killed Kruger's immaterial form and destroyed the Nazi facility that gave birth to the project (Weird War Tales # 97). Boothe's subsequent activities remain unrecorded.

(created by Hank Chapman and Jack Abel) was named Millie and she was exactly what her name indicates -- a Nazi-fighting mule who went through a succession of keepers. They included Pvt. Smith (Our Army At War # 117), Pvt. Skinner (G.I. Combat # 104) and Pvt. Mulvaney (OAAW # 149, 160; Star-Spangled War Stories # 136).

Sam Shot and Slim Shell

(created by Klaus Nordling) were each refused by the Air Corps in the summer of 1941: Colonel Shot, a veteran of the "World, Spanish-American and Indian Wars," because he was too old and Slim Shell, a gangly teenager, because he was too young. Noting that the young man had rebuilt an old plane, the wily Colonel, prone to exaggeration and tall tales, convinced Slim to fight the Axis on their own (Military Comics # 1). Despite a steady stream of misadventures around the globe, Shot and Shell established an impressive string of victories. When last seen in the spring of 1943, the duo had thwarted a troop of Nazis in Norway (Military # 19).

Lt. Skip Schuyler

(created by Tom Hickey) was a well-regarded U.S. Intelligence agent affiliated with the War Department. The West Point-graduate investigated trouble spots at home and abroad in adventures documented over the course of 1939 (Adventure Comics # 37-46).

The Sniper

(created by Ted Udall and Vernon Henkel) might well have passed for an archer in his khaki-green vest, pants and feathered hat. His weapon of choice, however, was a rifle, and began placing members of the Gestapo and other Nazi officials in crosshairs in 1940 (Military Comics # 5). In August of 1943, he decided to shift his sights from the European Theatre to Japan, declaring in a note that "you Nazis have dug your own graves too well to need further help from ... the Sniper" (# 23). In this new venue, the marksman found himself frequently opposed by Suratai, an assassin of the Black Dragon Society (# 24-25, 28-30). The Sniper made his last recorded appearance in September of 1944 (Military # 34).

The Sparrow

(created by Bob Haney, Dick Ayers and Gerry Talaoc) was a resistance fighter, arguably associated with the O.S.S. (Unknown Soldier # 210, 230, 231, 239, 249, 250, 258). He was executed as a saboteur by Nazi soldiers on April 29, 1945 but his final mission was completed by the Unknown Soldier (US # 268).

Captain "Spin" Shaw

(created by Rex Smith) was a troubleshooter and pilot who was part of the Naval Air Corps who had a healthy run in Feature Comics from # 29 (1940) to 100 (1946). His whereabouts since the spring of 1946 are unknown.

The Suicide Squad

(created by Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito) was a wartime unit assigned to only the most perilous missions, notably those on Dinosaur Island in the Pacific (Star-Spangled War Stories # 110-111, 116-121, 125, 127-128).

Hoping to provide the men with "a fighting chance to survive," the Army assigned Captain Richard Montgomery "Rick" Flag to lead them. The unit was retired at the war's end but revived in 1951 as the military arm of the United States' Task Force X (Secret Origins # 14). Members of the wartime unit included Ace High, the Beast, Blowhard, Gyp, Nickels and Shiv. The Beast perished on a mission in Qurac (Suicide Squad # 26) but the status of the rest of the Squad remains unrecorded.

The Swordfish

was Ensign Jack Smith (created by Fred Guardineer), who used a one-man submarine of his own creation to take on America's enemies in mid-1942 (Hit Comics # 22-24).

The Tank Killer

, otherwise known as "T.K." (created by Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert) was a marine who took on Japanese forces with his bazooka in All-American Men of War # 69, 71,72 and 76.

Lt. Tex Browne

(created by Bob Kanigher and Irv Novick) was Johnny Cloud's wingman (All-American Men of War # 83-104, 106-111, 115, 117) but, through unknown circumstances, he'd left Cloud's side by the time Johnny joined the Losers (G.I. Combat # 138).

The Three Aces

were "Whistler Will" Saunders, "Gunner" Bill and the British-accented "Fog" Fortune (Action Comics # 18), three soldiers of fortune who signed up with the U.S. military at the onset of America's entry into World War Two as aviators aboard the U.S.S. Roosevelt (Action # 47). When last seen in the summer of 1943, the Aces had helped free dozens of Marines from a Japanese prison island (Action # 63).

had been a man disfigured in the Pacific Theatre during 1942 who made the best of fate, becoming a renowned master of disguise who worked as a spy on behalf of the government (Star-Spangled War Stories # 151-204; Unknown Soldier # 205-268). In late April of 1945, the Soldier stumbled upon a final desperate plan of the Nazis to unleash vampiric creatures known as the Nosferatu across Europe. On April 30, 1945, the Soldier learned the details of the plot from Adolf Hitler and, during a struggle, the fuhrer accidentally shot himself in the head. Impersonating Hitler, the Soldier successfully assured the destruction of the Nosferatu. Hours later, as he saved the life of a youngster, the Soldier appeared to have been killed in a bomb blast. There was evidence to suggest that the Soldier may have simply taken the opportunity to retire his wartime persona (Unknown Soldier # 268) and, indeed, the master of disguise made his presence known to Sgt. Rock on May 1, 1945 (Swamp Thing # 82).

The subsequent history of the Unknown Soldier was been clouded in contradiction. An elaborate disinformation campaign tells stories of assassinations and other questionable missions carried out on behalf of the United States. One account states that the Soldier severed his ties with the government after orchestrating the death of Joint Chiefs chairman Wintley Roth in 1989 (Unknown Soldier [second series] # 12) while another claims that the Soldier, mentally unstable since World War Two, suffered a complete breakdown in 1991 and spent the next several years setting up an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to create a successor (Unknown Soldier [third series] # 4). It's entirely possible that neither chronicle is accurate.

The Viking Commando

(created by Bob Kanigher and George Evans) was Valoric, a Viking who'd been taken before his time and, at Odin's command, returned to Earth in post-D-Day World War Two. Fey, the Valkyrie who loved him, was sentenced to shadow Valoric until he truly perished. Recruited to fight the modern equivalent of the Huns, the Viking Commando became a force to be reckoned with (All-Out War # 1-6; Unknown Soldier # 266 and 267). It's unknown when (or if) Valoric finally met his end.

Wayne Clifford

(created by Cary Burkett and Jerry Grandenetti) was an American war correspondent ("Dateline: Frontline" ) whose adventures took place in a variety of venues over the course of 1940-1942 (Men of War # 4-6, 9-11, 21-23 and Unknown Soldier # 243-245 and 254-256). In his final recorded appearance, Clifford was forced to endure the horror of the Bataan Death March, escaping with his life thanks to a handful of soldiers.

Captain "Wings" Wendall

(created by Vernon Henkel) was an operative of Military Intelligence first seen in 1939's Smash Comics # 1. As his nickname suggests, Wings was an accomplished pilot whom the text billed as "the world's greatest flyer." Once the United States entered World War Two, Wendall began flying missions over Germany, most notably an impromptu bombing raid of Reich headquarters in Berlin (Smash # 36). His last recorded appearance was in the fall of 1942 (Smash # 37).

X of the Underground

was a possible successor to Monsieur X. Never seen by Axis forces in Paris, the mysterious X had begun to create a sensation by early 1942, her mystique increased further by the reports of the New York Globe's Bob Gray. He eventually discovered that X was a woman but agreed not to reveal her secret (Military Comics # 8) and later discovered that the Underground was a multi-national force of women.

Fiercely protective of their secret, X and the Underground executed anyone who learned of their true faces and gender. Indeed, the bodies of a traitorous member of the Underground and two Gestapo agents were found hanging from rafters with an "X" painted behind them (# 9). Inevitably, the truth about X's gender became public knowledge and they believed that they'd killed her in the fall of 1942. A note found next to the corpses of two Nazi officers told otherwise: "Notice, German murderers: X is not dead! She will live to see the last Nazi dog sent to his grave" (Military # 13). Her subsequent wartime activities remain undocumented.

Yankee Eagle

(created by John Stewart and William A. Smith) was Jerry Noble, privileged son of Senator Walter Q. Noble, a member of the Senate Naval Committee. Jerry had an almost Doctor Doolittle-esque rapport with animals, including his pet eagle, Sam, and he used those gifts to fight Nazi and Japanese saboteurs in the months leading up to America's involvement in World War Two, usually intersecting with Naval officers in the process (Military Comics # 1-7). By January of 1942, Jerry was officially a member of Naval Secret Service with the codename of Yankee Eagle. He literally left his stamp on every saboteur he faced from that point on, placing a facsimile "Yankee Eagle" postage stamp on their foreheads (Military Comics # 8). After a several month hiatus, Yankee Eagle's adventures resumed in October of 1942 with the hero now known as Larry (Smash Comics # 38). The final recorded mission of Noble was reported in August of 1943 (Smash # 47).

Yankee Guerrilla

was United States operative Franklin Darrow (created by ), who donned fatigues and took a codename while helping rebels in Serbia fight Nazis during mid-1942 (Crack Comics # 26). His whereabouts since his initial skirmish are unknown.

The Korean War

King Savage

(created by Carmine Infantino, E. Nelson Bridwell and Frank Springer) was captured by Communists during the Korean War and cracked under their interrogation. Thanks to the intervention of a mysterious stranger, Savage was able to escape and warn his comrades of the impending attack. Only Savage and the stranger -- later identified by the codename of Mockingbird -- knew that the soldier had turned traitor (Secret Six # 1, 4). In 1968, King Savage, now a stunt man in Hollywood, and five others were gathered by Mockingbird to form the shadowy team known as the Secret Six. Should they refuse, Mockingbird would expose their secrets (SS # 1). In 1988, the Secret Six were revived to help train a team of successors only to be marked for death by opposing forces. Most of the original Secret Six, including Savage, was killed (Action Comics Weekly # 602).

Jonathan Joseph Kent

(created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) spent a year as a prisoner of war in Korea (alternately identified as Japan: World of Smallville # 1 and updated in Adventures of Superman # 500), during which time his friends and family in Smallville, Kansas believed him dead. Jon's girl friend, Martha Clark, eventually married local businessman Daniel Fordman, a piece of news that deeply disappointed the young soldier when he finally returned to the United States. Fordman, however, was dying of cancer and, recognizing that Martha and her old boyfriend belonged together, he asked Jonathan to marry her after he died. Though stunned by the request, Jonathan was still in love with Martha and, a year after Fordman's death, they were married (World of Smallville # 1-2). Years later, the Kents would make a chance discovery that changed their lives when they discovered a spacecraft carrying the infant Kal-El, whom they named Clark and who would one day achieve far-reaching fame as Superman (The Man of Steel # 1).

Steve Savage, Balloon Buster,

and his real-life counterpart Frank Luke

You mean you don't know anything about the feared American ace of World War I? Don't worry, you'll know plenty by the time we're done!

Steve Savage is notably one of only a handful of DC war characters to have very different pre-Crisis and post-Crisis (actually post-Zero Hour) histories. And interestingly, Savage's two histories have been the work of only two writers - Robert Kanigher (pre-Crisis) and James Robinson (post-Crisis). Asides from a few panels in Crisis on Infinite Earths which Marv Wolfman wrote, Kanigher and Robinson have been the only scribes of Steve Savage.

Pre-Crisis

Like most of the DC war characters, Steve Savage was created by writer/editor Robert Kanigher. Debuting in All-American Men of War #113, Savage was the opposite number of Hans von Hammer (a.k.a. "Enemy Ace"), Kanigher's fictitious German ace.

Just as von Hammer's character was based upon a real life aviator - Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron") - so it seems was Steve Savage. The parallels between Savage and real-life World War I American aviator Frank Luke, Jr. are too obvious to ignore.

Both men - I'll refer to Savage as being alive, even though he's a fictitious character - were born in the American West. Phoenix, Arizona was Luke's birthplace, and Eagle Rock, Arizona was Savage's birthplace. (Sources conflict regarding Savage's birthplace. Who's Who lists it as Mustang Valley, Wyoming, but other sources, such as Unknown Soldier #262, say Eagle Rock. When in doubt, I'm inclined to go with an actual story over Who's Who.)

Named after their fathers, both men wore the "Junior" tag with pride. At his dying father's bedside, Savage swore to "make the old man proud by makin' the name Savage a name to be remembered."

Both men, however, came from different backgrounds. Luke's parents immigrated to America from Germany and had nine children. Luke's father worked as Phoenix's tax assessor, and later, as a member of the Arizona State Tax Commission. The Luke family, rather prominent in the world of politics, could afford to have a few servants working for them.

Asides from the fact that he was poor, not much is known about Savage's father. Pictured in flashbacks in a few stories, the senior Savage taught his son the finer points of gunplay, telling young Steve that "a gun is merely an extension of the man who wields it." After saving for many years, the senior Savage presented Steve with two silver plated six shooters, weapons which Steve wore with pride during the war.

Savage's childhood, in which he was repeatedly picked on by the Peevy brothers and called "poor white trash" (Unknown Soldier #262), fortified his resolve to make something of his life. He swore to rise above the labels others pinned upon him.

Savage and Luke brought Old West customs and tradition to the World War I era. Luke's sense of balance, learned while riding horses - as noted in Frederick Libby's Horses Don't Fly: A Memoir of World War I - served him well in the cockpit. When attacked from the rear, pilots of the WWI era oftentimes had to stand up to return fire using guns mounted in the rear of their plane!

Savage, having grown up in rough and tumble Eagle Point, brought his marksman's skills to the battlefield. A superb shot with a Colt .45 revolver, Savage's skills with weaponry extended to the twin Vickers machine guns mounted on his Spad.

And lest you think that Luke was as flamboyant as Savage, let it be known that Luke never wore a cowboy hat or spurs into battle. When written by Kanigher, Savage sure did, and I suppose literary license somehow kept his hat from falling off in mid-flight. The spurs, however, are another matter. In early World War I, before the USA entered the fray, some British aviators did wear spurs as part of their uniforms!

Savage, as noted in Who's Who, enlisted in the Army Air Corps "at the onset of the War". The USA didn't get involved in World War I until April 6, 1917, and so it's a safe bet that he enlisted sometime close to that date.

Likewise, Luke enlisted in September of 1917. He learned to fly at the University of Texas' School of Military Aeronautics and at Rockwell Field in San Diego. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in January 1918, Luke completed training in June of 1918 and was assigned to duty with the 27th Squadron in Cazeaux, France.

Where Savage learned to fly has never been explained, but in comics, that's understandable. What is known, however, is that Savage held the same rank as Luke - Second Lieutenant. And just like Luke, Savage flew with the 27th Squadron. (The sub-title for Savage's adventure in Unknown Soldier #262 is "Shootout at the 27th Squadron.")

Both men soon carved reputations for themselves as brave, fearless - and reckless - aviators. Aggressive in the air and possessing nerves of steel, both men's preferred target of choice were German observation balloons. Balloons may sound like an easy target - sitting ducks for agile planes to mow down - but they were anything but.

Observation balloons, with armed crew members and planes assigned to protect them, were some of the toughest targets in the war. Luke, being cocksure and bold, and Savage, his character patterned after Luke, sought out the balloons for the challenge they represented.

Both men were rogues and loners by nature. Disobeying the conventions of the day, they preferred to fly solo, not as part of a larger squadron of planes. This and other infractions earned them the ire of their commanding officers, but there was no denying the results they achieved.

Luke was soon nicknamed "The Arizona Balloon Buster" for his efforts, and not surprisingly, the name Balloon Buster headlined Savage's adventures.

When creating Savage and his supporting cast, Kanigher also made use of the love-hate relationship Luke had with his superiors. Lt. Col. Harold Hartney, commanding officer of the 27th Squadron, condoned many of Luke's risky maneuvers, and when discipline was warranted, Hartney was rather lenient. Luke, however, had a tendency of going AWOL, and he was arrested twice for it (once in training, and once while in France). Luke's other superiors dealt with his transgressions much more harshly.

Likewise, Kanigher patterned his fictional General Talbot after Lt. Col Hartney. As with the Luke-Hartney relationship, General Talbot applauded Savage's unorthodox style and defended him against his critics. Talbot saved Savage from threats of court martials and always demanded that he be kept in combat.

Although not patterned after any real person in particular, the fictional Major Michaels continued to try to punish Savage for his transgressions, much like Luke's other superiors. Evidently, Kanigher patterned even the minutia of Steve Savage's mythos after Luke's military career.

Other aspects of Savage were pure fiction, not related to Luke in any way. For instance, Savage's two meetings with Enemy Ace - you can't call them duels because little happened and they tended to be inconclusive and anticlimactic (See Unknown Soldier #262-264 and Star Spangled War Stories #181-183 for the details) - came purely from imagination. Luke most likely never encountered von Richthofen during the war, let alone duel him mano a mano.

Even more unlikely, Savage and von Hammer once teamed up to help a blind French boy get to a doctor capable of restoring his sight. Fiction may be based on real life, but it's definitely larger than life.

Steve Savage's success in the sky was greater than Luke's, again, because shooting down lots of balloons makes for entertaining stories. Luke had 18 confirmed kills, and he was the second leading US ace of World War I (Captain Eddie Rickenbacker - who makes a cameo appearance on page 3 of Unknown Soldier #262 - had the most, with 26 confirmed kills). Steve Savage, in a 36 year comic book career, probably has dozens upon dozens of kills. Heck, he averages about five per story!

And one final similarity exists between the two men; Their final fates remained unknown until World War I ended.

Steve Savage's fate, at least pre-Crisis, was like that of so many other Kanigher written war heroes - it was not known whether or not he survived the war. Personally, I've always liked not knowing because it adds more suspense to future stories.

Luke's fate, while not known on November 11, 1918 (the day the war ended), was learned of a short while after. After destroying three enemy balloons on September 29, 1918, Luke was chased by eight Fokker planes towards enemy ground artillery. He never returned to his aerodome, and his commanding officers weren't sure what happened to him.

US soldiers found Luke's grave after the armistice ended the war, and based on observations of witnesses, Luke was awarded the Medal of Honor for his last heroic actions. His Medal of Honor citation reads thusly: "Severely wounded, Lt. Luke flew at low altitude near the town of Murvaux, opened fire upon enemy troops, killing six and wounding as many more. Forced to make a landing and surrounded by the enemy on all sides, he drew his pistol and defended himself gallantly until he fell dead from a wound in the chest."

Who knows, perhaps the pre-Crisis Steve Savage perished just as heroically. We'll never know for sure.

Post-Crisis

Post-Crisis, James Robinson incorporated Steve Savage into the Starman/Jack Knight mythos. Although a very minor player in the Starman story, Savage's history was severely rewritten to fit the "heroic lineage" theme of Starman. And in doing so writer James Robinson, usually noted for his reverence to times past and writers before him, tore away the many parallels between Luke and Savage that Robert Kanigher had so painstakingly created.

Instead of Savage being from Arizona, the son of a poor father, Robison establishes that Savage was from Opal City, the son of Brian "Scalphunter" Savage. Brian Savage, the sheriff of the fictional town, definitely had wild west roots (having been raised by Native Americans), but the edginess of Steve's pre-crisis upbringing was sorely lacking.

Having Brian as a father gives Steve another interesting parallel to Frank Luke, namely, both their fathers were public officials, employees of the government. In doing so, however, many more parallels are torn asunder.

Savage no longer has the "Junior" appellation, he was no longer from Arizona, his father never taught him how to ride a horse or how to shoot a gun, etc, etc. Many of the aspects of Savage's fictional life which paralleled Luke's real life were gone.

Robinson's folly probably wasn't deliberate, and instead, it was most likely made inadvertently. Robinson shows great respect for Steve Savage, and his "I Am A Gun" story in Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #7 is one of the better Balloon Buster stories.

It should be noted however, that some parallels, such as Savage's love-hate relationship with his commanding officers, were kept intact. Steve's personality remains the same, and with his dying words, Brian Savage says of Steve, "I got a boy. A son....Wild like his daddy."

In "I Am A Gun," Robinson establishes a post-war history for Savage. Unlike his counterpart Luke, Savage is revealed to have survived World War I. After he returns home from the war, Savage is heralded as a "local boy [who] made good."

Opal City residents try to persuade him to run for sheriff, like his father, but Savage refuses. All he wants to do is fly, and after purchasing a parcel of land in neighboring Turk County, Savage built an aerodome. Naming it Rochelle Field after his slain French fiancée, Savage opened an aerial circus, and he and other flyers barnstormed the country, performing amazing stunts.

Savage, along with contemporaries like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, broke numerous aviation records during the 1920's and 30's. His legend grew larger.

And Savage's final fate post-Crisis? Making up for eliminating some parallels between Luke and Savage, James Robinson deftly adds two more.

First, Savage's fate remains unknown, much like Luke's was for a short time. In the late 1930's a fever epidemic, accompanied by a huge cloud cover, swept into Opal City The epidemic refused to break, and citizens started a rumor that a dragon lurked within the clouds and that its breath was causing the fever.

Savage, allegedly having seen the dragon, took off to fight it. His canary yellow Spad flew into the clouds and he was never seen again. He never returned to his aerodome. But, the cloud vanished as mysteriously as it came, as did the fever.

Did Savage sacrifice himself to save Opal City? Or did he simply crash in a remote area where no one could find the wreckage? Nothing was certain except the fact that his legend and myth continued to grow over the years.

The second Savage-Luke parallel Robinson adds involves the renaming of Rochelle Field. In the 1950's, when interest in Savage's life peaked with magazine articles and the publication of his biography (titled "I Am A Gun" and written by the fictitious Harold Jennings), Rochelle Field was renamed Savage Field in his honor. Similarly, both in time frame and in deed, the Army renamed it's Phoenix base Luke Air Force Base in 1949. (The town of Phoenix had also previously honored Frank Luke with a memorial statue near the Arizona capitol building).

Fictional and Real Life Heroes

Over the course of writing this, I've been pleasantly surprised by the history and heroism woven into the character of Steve Savage. I've also been fascinated by the real life exploits of Frank Luke. Comics are often considered "American mythology," and in this case, it's easy to understand why. The adventures of Steve Savage have kept the story of Frank Luke alive, sharing it with an unsuspecting audience who might not have ever known about it.

Recommended Reading

Steve Savage:

All American Men of War #112, "The Balloon Buster," written by Robert Kanigher, illustrated by Russ Heath, Nov. 1965. (Reprinted in Unknown Soldier #160)

All American Men of War #113, "The Ace of Sudden Death," written by Kanigher, illustrated by Heath, Jan. 1966. (Reprinted in Unknown Soldier #162)

All American Men of War #114, "The Ace Who Died Twice," written by Kanigher, illustrated by Heath, Mar. 1966. (Reprinted in Unknown Soldier #163)

All American Men of War #116, "Circle of Death," written by Kanigher, illustrated by Heath, July 1966.

Star Spangled War Stories #181-183, "Hell's Angels," 3 part story written by Kanigher, illustrated by Frank Thorne, July 1974 - Nov. 1974.

Unknown Soldier #262-264, "Killers of the Sky" 3 part story written by Kanigher, illustrated by Dan Spiegle, April-June, 1982

Who's Who #2, (short biography), written by Marv Wolfman, illustrated by Joe Kubert, April 1985

Crisis on Infinite Earths #9, (seen in 4 panels on page 9), written by Wolfman, illustrated by George Perez, December 1985.

History of the DCU #1 (seen on one page), written by Wolfman, illustrated by Perez, 1986.

Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #7, "I Am A Gun," written by James Robinson, illustrated by Russ Heath and Steve Yeowell, 1997.

Starman: Secret Files #1, (only mentioned, not seen), written by Robinson, illustrated by various artists, April 1998.

Frank Luke: The September Rampage, by Robert and William Haiber, Devel Press, 1999

History of the 27th Pursuit Squadron, by C. Conover, available on-line at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7133/summary1.html

Horses Don't Fly: A Memoir of World War I, by Frederick Libby, Arcade Publishing, New York, 2000.

Medal of Honor: Volume 1, Aviators of World War I, by Alan E. Durkota

"World War I Ace's Winning Streak Ended in a Face to Face Shootout," by Bethanne Kelly Patrick, Military.com columnist, available on-line at http://www.military.com/Content/MoreContent/1,12044,ML_luke_bkp,00.html

Nathaniel and Jebediah Kent (created by John Ostrander, Timothy Truman and Michael Bair)
each served in the Civil War -- but on opposing sides. Nate, long an advocate of abolishing
slavery as was his father Silas, fought on behalf of the Union, while Jeb, a troubled soul
who’d become an outlaw, served with the Confederacy (The Kents # 5-8). The feud between the
brothers didn’t reach its end until years after the war. On September 5, 1874, Jeb rode into
Smallville, Kansas with his gang, including his son, Taylor. Nate, now the town’s sheriff,
pointed a gun at Jeb but ultimately lowered his weapon, recognizing that he couldn’t open fire
on his sibling. The murderous Taylor had no such reservations and fired at his uncle, leading
to a gun battle in which the boy mortally wounded his father. Details of Nate’s later life are
largely unrecorded but he is known to have survived until at least 1894 (The Kents # 12).
His family history was later pieced together by his descendant, Jonathan Kent, adoptive father
of Clark (Superman) Kent (The Kents # 1-12).

WORLD WAR ONE:

“The Balloon Buster” (created by Bob Kanigher and Russ Heath: All-American Men of War # 112).

Sgt. John Michael Rock (created by Bob Kanigher and Russ Heath), who was glimpsed in Our Army
At War # 275 and Sgt. Rock # 414, was killed by a sniper in France in 1918 (Sgt. Rock # 419).
He was survived by his wife, Mary (OAAW # 231), and six children, Amy (SR # 417), Ann (SR # 417),
Eddie (OAAW # 231), Josh (OAAW # 158), Larry (Our Fighting Forces # 95) and Franklin John,
who was destined to become a second-generation Sgt. Rock in World War Two (OAAW # 81).

The Bombardiers (created by Paul Gustavson) had their origin at a local draft board where three men were rejected for military service in mid-1943. Roy Lincoln (a.k.a. the Human Bomb) had previously been head of the Navy’s Chemical Laboratories, an offer personally extended by President Roosevelt in August of 1941 (Police Comics # 3) but the time he’d spent overseas with the Freedom Fighters in 1942 (noted in Young All-Stars # 2) had made him want to do more. Unfortunately, Roy was “too valuable to risk in active service.” Curly McGurk’s “criminal record (was) so bad (the) Army (wouldn’t) take (him).” And carnival entertainer Swordo was deemed “physically unfit.” United by their desire to help the war effort, they vowed to head to Tokyo, anyway. Overhearing the conversation, California aviation company heiress “Red” Rogers snatched up all three men in her limousine and offered to fly them directly to Japan in one of her family’s state-of-the-art aircrafts ... with the stipulation that they first rescue her brother Tommy from a prison camp. Realizing that there was no going back, Roy revealed that he was the Human Bomb and supplied Curly, Red and Swordo with explosive powers that would even up the odds. Sadly, the Bombardiers arrived too late to save Tommy, who’d been literally tortured to death (Police Comics # 21), but the combustible corps continued its series of raids in Japanese-occupied China throughout the summer (# 22). The Human Bomb returned to the United States soon after (# 23) and the fate of his partners remains unknown.

Captain Richard “Rick” Cannon (created by Don Cameron and Chuck Winter) was an operative of Army Intelligence who, disguised as a German officer named Colonel Krupp, was instrumental in helping Libby Lawrence escape from Nazi-occupied Poland and later France in 1939 and 1940. In the fall of 1941, Libby acquired super-powers and took the costumed persona of Liberty Belle just as she crossed paths with Rick Cannon again and helped him capture a ring of saboteurs (Boy Commandos [first series] # 1; All-Star Squadron # 61). Rick’s hopes for a romantic relationship with Libby were quashed when she married John Chambers on April 1, 1942 (All-Star Squadron # 50) but he and Libby (and Liberty Belle) maintained a platonic relationship into early 1947 (Star Spangled Comics # 68).

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Captain X of the Royal Air Force (created by Gardner Fox and Jon L. Blummer) was secretly Richard “Buck” Dare, a London-based newspaper reporter who flew in a futuristic plane made of a clear plastic alloy and “powered by Uranium 237 - atomic energy” while clad in a colorful red, green and yellow flight suit (Star Spangled Comics # 1). The unofficial member of the R.A.F. flew six missions in the latter half of 1941 (SSC # 1-6).

Approached to become a spy in Nazi-held Europe in April of 1942 at approximately the same time as Tex (Mister America) Thomson, Captain X was given the new codename of Aviator. After a brief romance with a woman he called Patricia, Richard Dare headed overseas for the duration of World War II. After the war, Dare discovered that his old love was married and had a child, Edward. Choosing not to contact her, Dare threw himself into his work and new perils in the approaching cold war. Years after Patricia's death, Dare discovered that Edward was, in fact, his own son (The Fury of Firestorm # 50). Several months following the reunion, Aviator died in the midst of abattle with a wartime ally, Stalnoivolk, when the Russian villain broke his neck (Firestorm # 71). Captain X’s heroic tradition is carried on by Edward’s son, Ronald Raymond, otherwise known as Firestorm.

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Lt. Charles Collins (created by Gardner Fox and Howard Purcell) died in 1941 at the hands of Nazi spies but was, in a sense, reborn. Collins’ body was immediately inhabited by the spirit of Keith Everett, an Irish nobleman who’d lost his life in the year 1700. Keith’s beloved Deborah Wallace had been reincarnated in the form of a namesake descendant who was also Collins’ girl friend and Everett wanted nothing more than to be by her side (Sensation Comics # 1). The Gay Ghost had barely settled into his new life when, in the fall of 1941, the spirits of Keith’s ancestors alerted him to the war in Europe and commanded him to defend England. As a licensed pilot, Charles Collins was able to make arrangements with the United States Army to fly a plane to England and serve with the R.A.F. (# 4-6). Collins’ experience there enabled him to make the transition to a position as a test pilot with an aeronautics firm (# 7) and finally as a pilot in the Army Air Corps (# 9). Eventually, Collins even became an agent for the F.B.I. His whereabouts past late 1944 (Sensation # 38) are unknown.

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Commando Yank (created by ? and Clem Weisbecker) was was journalist Chase Yale, who donned a gray costume to fight the Nazis in Europe during World War Two (Wow Comics # 6-64; America’s Greatest Comics # 4-7; Whiz Comics # 102). Commando Yank was one of several costumed agents of Shazam (The Power of Shazam! # 12) and he is known to have operated at least through the latter half of 1948, by which point Chase Yale was now broadcasting on television (Whiz # 102).

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The Creature Commandos (created by J.M. DeMatteis, Pat Broderick and John Celardo) were the result of a government genetic project known as Project “M” (Young All-Stars # 12-14, 28) that proposed to create a squad of iconic horror figures in the hope of unnerving enemy soldiers (Weird War Tales # 93, 97, 100, 102, 105, 108-112, 114-119, 121, 124). Led by Lt. Matthew Shrieve, the original roster of the Creature Commandos consisted of Elliot “Lucky” Taylor, Vincent Velcro and Warren Griffith (WWT # 93). They were later joined by Myrna “Doctor Medusa” Rhodes (WWT # 110). Later during World War Two, in an account of dubious authenticity, the group was court-martialed for unknown reasons and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted and the Commandos and G.I. Robot were ordered to test an experimental rocket aimed at Germany. The craft malfunctioned and surged into space, its final destination unknown (WWT # 124).

The purported heads of the Creature Commandos are among the trophies on the wall of monster hunter Nelson Strong (Swamp Thing # 145), exhibits which are presumably fraudulent in light of the fact that at least one member of the team, Velcro, survived into the present as a vampire specialist and consultant of S.T.A.R. Labs (Team Titans # 17-19). A divergent account of the team’s battle with alternate versions of various Justice League adversaries (Creature Commandos # 1-8) may represent a fictionalized movie within the current DC Universe.

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“Destroyer 121” (created by ? and Al McWilliams) was otherwise known as the U.S.S. Pawnee, helmed by Lt. Commander Harvey Blake and his executive officer Fred Conroy from 1942 to the end of 1946 (National Comics # 23-53).

Of them all, only Bulldozer has appeared in the present, as the headmaster at the Civic City Military Academy (Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. # 7). And he’s slated to return as a regular in the forthcoming Suicide Squad revival.

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Johnny Everyman (created by Jack Schiff and John Daly) was a civilian engineer who travelled throughout Asia during World War Two, honing an already well-developed sense of equity and fair play regarding people of different races. Johnny took his experiences from before the war (such as his organization of a multiracial football game over the objections of both teams’ colleges: World’s Finest # 17) and after to preach against intolerance and bigotry as a representative of the East and West Association (World's Finest Comics # 15-26, 28, 30; Comic Cavalcade # 8-14). He was last seen in 1947.

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G-2 (created by ? and Ruben Moreira) was Captain Don Leash of Army Intelligence, who fought espionage while clad in a light blue costume while using the designation normally associated with the Army’s spy division (National Comics # 27-47). He was last seen in late 1944.

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Michael Gallant (created by ? and Alfred Andriola) and his twin brother, Lance, were born in the fall of 1919 “to a middle class family in New York City ... So identical were they -- even to (T-shaped) birthmarks on their left wrists -- that their own mother could never tell them apart.” Upon America’s entrance into World War Two, Michael joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. On his 23rd birthday in the autumn of 1942, while his fiancee, Kim Meredith, and his brother waited below, Michael flew his plane into a hangar at Acme Aircraft when a bomb inside the structure exploded. Lance rushed into the burning wreckage and carried his sibling’s bloody form to safety only to have him die in his arms.

At that moment, Lance vowed to avenge his brother’s death -- only to hear his brother’s ghostly form give his approval. Through circumstances unknown, Michael’s spirit explained that his intangible form could merge with his sibling when Lance rubbed his birthmark, creating a super-human entity with the powers of invisibility, invulnerability and flight -- Captain Triumph. As a blonde super-hero in a red shirt and white riding pants, Captain Triumph avenged his brother’s death (Crack Comics # 27) and revealed to Kim that her fiancee still survived, after a fashion. Unknown to either Lance or Kim, Michael’s ability to live on as Captain Triumph had been conceived by one of the mythical Fates, whose sisters agreed to accept him after they’d arranged a suitable test (# 28).

The Captain Triumph team was rounded out by Biff Banks, a circus clown who quit his job to become Lance’s partner in the summer of 1943 (Crack # 30). At some point during World War Two, Captain Triumph also joined the All-Star Squadron (Who’s Who ‘87 # 26) but his relationship with the team, including Fury, another agent of the mythological three sisters, is undocumented. In early 1949, after the Injustice Society had captured several Justice Society members, Captain Triumph was among several former Squadron members whom Black Canary, the Flash, Hawkman and Wonder Woman recruited to bring the rogues to justice (Starman # 62). Captain Triumph, Kim and Biff were last seen in August of 1949, when they exposed “the Vanishing Vandals” (Crack # 62).

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Private Henry “Hank” Heywood (created by Gerry Conway and Don Heck) joined the Marines in the fall of 1939 and almost immediately became a casualty of the escalating war in Europe. Heywood discovered Nazi saboteurs at an ammunition bunker and was nearly killed in the ensuing explosion. Thanks to the efforts of his mentor, Doctor Gilbert Giles, Heywood was restored with an extraordinary steel skeleton but sworn to secrecy by the scientist until his new capabilities were tested. Hoping to utilize his powers to their full potential but determined to keep Dr.Giles’ secret, Heywood created the red, white and blue alter-ego of Steel, inspired by the mysterymen who were beginning to pop up around the east coast (Steel, the Indestructible Man # 1). Unfortunately, Giles realized what Hank had done almost immediately and suffered a heart attack that left him comatose (Steel # 3-5).

Before he could deal with the repercussions, Steel was called upon by England’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill to accept a mission to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The plan went disastrously awry, with Heywood imprisoned in a concentration camp and inadvertantly triggering the creation of Nazi super-soldier Baron Blitzkrieg. Nearly two years later, Steel was released by his captors and mentally programmed to assassinate Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt at their command. Thus, on December 30, 1941, Steel returned to North America and rescued Churchill from an attack by the Black Assassin, enabling him to win the trust of the Prime Minister, the President and the All-Star Squadron. When Commander Steel (newly christened by President Roosevelt) finally revealed that he was a sleeper agent, Robotman and Firebrand intervened and broke the spell (All-Star Squadron # 8-9).

Hoping to put his life back together, Steel visited his old girl friend (and Doctor Giles’ daughter), Gloria. The encounter was a turbulent one, with Steel discovering that Doctor Giles had died and that Gloria had married a soldier, Brad Farley. Rather than complicate Gloria’s life further, Steel reported that Hank Heywood had perished on a secret mission in 1939 (All-Star Squadron # 13). After Captain Farley was reported missing in action in Europe, Steel reversed his decision and revealed to Gloria that he was, in fact, Hank Heywood and that he intended to travel overseas to rescue her husband (A-SS # 38). In Berlin, on April 1, 1942, Commander Steel succeeded in freeing Farley from his captors but the two men were separated in the ensuing battle (A-SS # 50).

The sparse details on Hank Heywood’s subsequent activities in Europe and Korea indicate that “he was a fighter pilot for the Army, and then the Air Force. After Korea, he rose through the ranks until he became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Around 1960, he retired ... went into private industry ... and in less than ten years, he built an industrial empire.” Heywood had also married and had a child, Hank II, but he lost his son and daughter-in-law within a year of one another, the former to a crash in his Air Force jet, the latter to breast cancer. About twenty-five years ago, Heywood gained custody of his infant grandson, Hank III.

Increasingly paranoid about the world’s political instability, Heywood had his grandson transformed into a cyborg while simultaneously arranging for the construction of a Detroit-based fortress called the Bunker (Justice League of America # 237). The elder Heywood later confessed that he had transformed the boy rather than see another member of his family fall prey to “human weaknesses.” In a fit of dementia, Heywood resumed his Commander Steel identity and kidnapped his grandson (now calling himself Steel), intent on brainwashing him into accepting his own ideals. Instead, the incident proved the final split between grandfather and grandson (JLA # 244). Devastated by the subsequent death of his grandson (JLA # 260), Hank Heywood accepted one final assignment as Commander Steel, a suicide mission against Eclipso that left all involved dead (Eclipso # 11-13).

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Mademoiselle Marie (created by Bob Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti) was one of the most legendary figures in France’s resistance movement (Star-Spangled War Stories # 84-91. Despite the claims of a Parisian woman that Marie was shot on August 24, 1944, the eve of the city's liberation, and later gave birth to a baby (Detective Comics # 501-502), the heroine is known to been active at least through the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944 (Sgt. Rock Special [second series] # 2). Her subsequent activities, including the status of her romantic relationship with Sgt. Frank Rock (Sgt. Rock # 412, 421) is still unknown.

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The Phantom Eagle (created by ?) was Mickey Malone, a teenage mechanic and pilot who created his own airplane and went to war against the Axis on his own in 1942 when the British military refused to allow him to enlist because of his age (Wow Comics # 6-69). The Phantom Eagle was often joined by the Phoenix Squadron, a multi-national team of boy pilots who included Hans (of Denmark), Hendrik Voorhees (of Holland), Josef (of Poland), Nickolas (of Greece), Pierre (of France) and Sven (of Norway). The Eagle was last seen in mid-1948 (Wow # 69).

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Pooch (created by Bob Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti) was Billy, part of a litter of puppies that also included the famous Rex, the Wonder Dog (Who’s Who ‘86 # 19). Both dogs were part of the K-9 Corps and Billy was shipped to a Pacific island, charged with sniffing out Japanese soldiers. Gunner and Sarge referred to Billy as Pooch , which, for all intents and purposes, became his name from that point on (Our Fighting Forces # 49-50, 58-60, 62-68, 71-78, 80-84, 86-88, 90-94, 132, 172, 175; Capt. Storm # 13; All-Out War # 1-2; G.I. Combat # 246, 274). In the course of his duties, Pooch was wounded multiple times and was given the honorary rank of sergeant. He was gunned down alongside Gunner near the end of World War Two (Losers Special # 1).

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PT and Prof (created by Bob Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito) were a pair of sailors sent to Dinosaur Island who bore an uncanny resemblance to DC editors Bob Kanigher and Julius Schwartz (Star-Spangled War Stories # 110, 111).

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Ensign Rod Reilly (created by ? and Reed Crandall) and his pal “Slugger” Dunn were Naval Reservists who were called to active duty in the fall of 1941 and assigned to the Destroyer Russell. Secretly the mysteryman known as Firebrand, Reilly soon had the opportunity to slip on his costume and defeat the crew of a Nazi ship alongside Slugger and, for good measure, capture another group of spies at an air base (Police Comics # 8). The duo was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the ill-fated bombing raid of the Japanese on December 7, 1941. Miraculously, they hadn’t been aboard their ship, the doomed Arizona, but both sustained multiple bullet wounds (All-Star Squadron # 1). Reilly survived thanks to a soldier named Ken Hosokawa who dragged him to safety only to be killed himself (# 13). Nonetheless, Rod was left comatose (# 4) and circumstances a few days later prompted his sister Danette to replace him as Firebrand (# 5).

Rod finally regained consciousness in January of 1942 and vowed to return to the Navy once he was fully recovered (A-SS # 13, 50). By the latter half of 1942, there were two Firebrands in action, a woman who patrolled the homefront and a man who fought the nation’s enemies overseas. Back in the Navy, Rod was joined by Slugger Dunn and his girl friend Joan Rogers, now serving as a nurse with the Red Cross, in such locations as Cairo (Police # 10), Washington, D.C. (# 11), the Pacific (# 12) and, when last seen in September of 1942, a stateside baseball game (# 13).

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Rex, the Wonder Dog (created by Bob Kanigher and Alex Toth) was a litter-mate of Billy, later known as Pooch, the canine comrade of Gunner and Sarge (Who’s Who ‘86 # 19). Thanks to a scientific experiment that enhanced his strength and intelligence (Secret Origins # 48), Rex was frequently called upon to join his master, Lt. (later Captain and Major) Philip Dennis, on missions during both World War Two and the Korean War (Adventures of Rex, the Wonder Dog # 3, 5-9). Rex’s most frequent companion, though, was Philip’s son, Danny (Rex # 1-46), who went on to become a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army himself (Flash [second series] # 47, using the alias “Jeff Smith”). Thanks to a chance discovery of the Fountain of Youth in Florida, Rex was given an indefinite new lease on life (DC Comics Presents # 35) and, despite being more than 400 years old in human years, the Wonder Dog remains as energetic today as he was in World War Two. Rex was last seen in the company of the metahuman known as Hero (Superboy & The Ravers # 1-5, 7-13, 16-19).

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Admiral Derek Steven Trevor (created by Roy & Dann Thomas, Vince Argondezzi and Tony DeZuniga) was just a member of the Army Air Corps when he crashed his P-38 on an island within a thousand miles of Australia in early 1945. Trevor was astonished to find the uncharted land mass populated by giant kangaroos (which he dubbed Kangas) and had decided to claim “Trevor Island” as his own by the time the Justice Society of America rescued him. The meeting with the JSA also introduced Trevor to Joan (Miss America) Dale, whom he eventually married (Infinity, Inc. # 48). Years later, JSA members Doctor Mid-Nite and Green Lantern encountered more prehistoric wildlife in a hidden valley near Trevor Island (All-Star Comics # 48), leading one to speculate that the area contained a portal to the other-dimensional land of Skartaris.

Roughly a quarter-century ago, Derek and Joan Trevor became the adoptive parents of a baby girl named Hippolyta (“Lyta”), the daughter of absent heroine Helena (Fury) Kosmatos (Infinity, Inc. # 49; Sandman # 57). Unable to have children of their own, the Trevors cherished Lyta and Derek developed a close relationship with family friend Albert Rothstein, whom he taught to fly when the future Nuklon and Atom-Smasher was a teenager (Infinity, Inc. # 48). Derek and Joan were last seen at the wedding of their daughter to Hank Hall (Infinity, Inc. # 51).

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Diana Rockwell Trevor (created by George Perez) came of age in the 1930s and had a passion for airplanes. “While still a teenager,” she recalled, “I became what was then called a ‘barnstormer’ -- and putting a PT-19 through its paces became the biggest thrill of my life! Only one thing ever matched that excitement -- the day a young lieutenant arrived to ask about purchasing my planes. Guess the poor guy got more than he bargained for -- because on November 8, 1940, I became Mrs. Lt. Ulysses Stephen Trevor.” Diana gave birth to a son, Stephen, just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Both she and her husband soon went off to war, leaving Steve in the care of Ulysses’ sister, Edna Aanonson. Diana served with the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron during World War Two and, afterwards, she became a transport pilot for the military.

On a mission in December of 1948, Diana crashed on the isle of Themiscyra, helping the Amazons turn back the murderous creature known as Cottus before being killed herself. Diana was honored as a heroine and the tattered remnants of the flag she carried with her were used to create two uniforms, modelled after the costume worn by the time-displaced Queen Hippolyta during her 1940s visit as Wonder Woman. “One was worn by Diana Trevor on her fiery journey to the Underworld. The second -- as well as the mysterious weapon Diana had wielded [a gun] -- was sealed away in a place of honor until the weapon could ultimately be used to help determine one worthy to wear Diana’s mantle.” That person proved to be Hippolyta’s own daughter, Diana, who was named after the great warrior and ultimately wore her coat-of-arms (Wonder Woman [second series] # 12).

Significantly, Hippolyta’s future counterpart was absent from the 1948 time period when Cottus struck, a consequence of her inquiry into the November clash between the Seven Soldiers of Victory and the Nebula Man in Tibet. Investigating the disturbance, Hippolyta encountered Hawkman and Doctor Mid-Nite, having come from the future to retrieve the nebula-rod. With Wonder Woman at their side, the heroes returned to the present (Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. # 9). Following the Seven Soldiers adventure in the future, the mystic Oracle returned Hippolyta to a point after the tragedy on Themiscyra, thus ensuring that the Queen did not attempt to change history. (It also seems likely that the Amazons had their memories of the visits from the future’s Hippolyta erased -- possibly by the gods -- after she returned to her proper time.)

Decades later, the spirit of Diana Trevor related the entire story to Princess Diana, and left to join her husband, Ulysses, who had just died (WW # 12). Diana Trevor was destined to appear before her namesake once more, urging her on during the battle with the White Magician that took the life of Artemis (WW # 100).

THE VIETNAM WAR:

Captain Nathaniel Christopher Adam (created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko) was an Air Force pilot and, in the words of his best friend, Sgt. Jeff Goslin, “a natural-born survivor,” one “who went down with his plane 30 miles inside Cambodia and managed to walk out again a week later” (Captain Atom # 1). Adam fell from grace on an October, 1967 reconnaissance mission that called for him and Mayday Company to secure the remains of a downed aircraft. The squad was attacked by the Viet Cong and Adam and a gravely injured Goslin were the only survivors. The Captain’s commanding officer, Trenton LeMar, denied having sent Mayday Company on the mission and Adam was accused of “recklessly exceed(ing) his authority.” Captain Adam stormed into LeMar’s office and was arguing with the General when he suddenly collapsed. Adam awoke to find LeMar lying dead with a knife in his chest and Military Police aiming their guns at him. Despite the efforts of his defense attorney, Henry Yarrow, Captain Adam was found guilty by a military tribunal and sentenced to death (CA # 9).

Desperate to be reunited with his wife, Angela, and children, Randall and Peggy, Nathaniel Adam volunteered to be a subject in the “Captain Atom Project.” The experiment required Adam to be encased in an otherworldly metal cocoon, which would then be subjected to radiation. If Adam survived, his prison sentence would be commuted. As feared, however, Captain Adam seemed to perish and Angela Adam was left a widow in May of 1968 (CA # 1).

More than a quarter century, a disoriented Adam rematerialized above Winslow Air Force Base, his body now armored by the alien metal. In short order, Nathaniel was reunited with two of the coordinators of the Captain Atom Project, General (formerly Colonel) Wade Eiling and Doctor Heinrich Megala, who realized that their subject had been catapulted forward in time. Hoping to keep Adam under his thumb, Eiling arranged for the newly-christened “Captain Atom” to be a government agent with a public persona as a super-hero and a civilian identity as an Air Force intelligence officer named Cameron Scott. To Captain Adam’s sorrow, his wife had died a few years earlier -- after her remarriage to Wade Eiling (CA # 1-2).

While off duty, Nathaniel Adam continued to investigate the 1967 murder charge against him. He discovered that Trenton LeMar had been a member of a major drug ring called the Green Elite and the plane that he had asked Mayday Company to secure had been carrying drugs. Hence, his refusal to acknowledge his role in the suicide mission. Nathaniel Adam had made a convenient scapegoat and, after unwittingly being sedated by a drugged spike on LeMar’s doorknob, he was unconcious when Henry Yarrow, another conspirator in the Green Elite, killed the General. In a confrontation with Captain Atom, Yarrow confessed -- moments before he was killed by General Eiling. Unknown to the Captain, Eiling had been the leader of the Elite (CA # 28).

In any event, Nathaniel Adam was“posthumously” cleared of all charges (CA # 29) and later revealed his status as a government operative in a nationally-broadcast press conference (CA # 50). Captain Atom found his life subjected to more turbulence in the coming months. First, he vanished into the time stream with the villainous Monarch (Armageddon 2001 # 2). Atom finally returned to the present months later (Armageddon: The Alien Agenda # 4), whereupon he agreed to lead a government-sponsored task force called the Peacekeepers (Justice League America # 80-83) and, later, Justice League West (Extreme Justice # 0 to 18). Today, Nathaniel Adam is again in the Air Force under his own name and married to Bette Sans Souci (The L.A.W. # 1).

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Captain Phil Hunter (created by Bob Kanigher and Irv Novick) and his twin brother, Major Nick Hunter served with the Marines in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars and were the offspring of famous World War Two hero, Lt. Ben Hunter. Phil was convinced that he shared a mental link with his sibling and regarded Nick as a hero for saving his life three times, once as a child in an icy pond, again as a teenager in a burning barn and a third time near the Choisen Reservoir in Korea. In 1966, Nick’s plane was shot down over Viet Cong territory and Phil became obsessed with rescuing him. Ironically, Phil was only three days away from his discharge from the Marines and, rather than re-enlist, he accepted the offer of a Vietnamese waitress named Lu-Lin to guide him through the enemy jungles in search of his brother. After several harrowing weeks, Phil located Ben and another pair of pilots, all of whom he managed to lead to safety (Our Fighting Forces # 99-106).

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Captain Adeline Kane (created by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Dick Giordano) was the daughter of the military “liason with Mao Tse-Tung’s Chinese communist guerrilla fighters” during World War Two (Tales of the Teen Titans # 44). Adeline, by contrast, had a life of privelege as the child of a wealthy family, culminating with her marriage to international playboy Jacques Morel. After discovering that her husband was a drug dealer, Adeline had the marriage annulled and enlisted in the Army, quickly shedding her youthful naiveté. Sealing off her emotions, Kane eventually came to be known as “the Ice Captain” (Deathstroke # 35).

Now a respected Army veteran, Captain Kane was assigned to be an instructor at Camp Washington, a military training facility designed to produce the most capable soldiers imaginable. It was there that Adeline met Slade Wilson, who fell in love with her the moment she defeated him in their first combat exercise. Within six months, the couple was married and their first child, “Grant Wilson, was born the night Slade landed in ‘Nam.”

Slade’s involvement in an Army experiment and his subsequent unauthorized rescue of family friend W.R. Wintergreen from a Viet Cong prison spelled the end of his military career but, unknown to Addie, heralded the beginning of Wilson’s new life as a mercenary known as Deathstroke the Terminator. Adeline learned the truth in the most horrific manner possible: an enemy of Deathstroke kidnapped their second son, Joseph, and slashed his vocal cords before Wilson could intervene. Blaming her husband for their child’s injuries, Adeline fired a gun at Slade, shooting out his right eye (Tales of the Teen Titans # 44).

Gifted with a photographic memory and in possession of multiple contacts both in the military and in her family’s wealthy social circle, Adeline soon forged a new life for herself as the founder of Searchers, Inc. Ostensibly a detective agency, Searchers, Inc. was actually “a world-wide information network ... a network with resources almost as far reaching as America’s C.I.A. ... and a network the C.I.A. has long investigated.” The organization took a hands-on approach to its cases, with Addie herself taking dangerous missions like her infiltration of a Quraci revolutionary force (Tales of the Teen Titans # 51).

In the wake of her son’s death (which she learned of in Deathstroke # 7) and her own kidnapping (# 27-34), Adeline suffered a breakdown. The forces of the Crimelord used the vulnerable woman’s obsessive hatred of her ex-husband to brainwash her (# 43, 46-47) into becoming the latest Vigilante ( # 48). Her confrontation with Deathstroke was disrupted by Wade (the Ravager) DeFarge, whom Adeline discovered was responsible for many of her family’s woes. Accidentally shot in the head by DeFarge, Adeline awoke in the morgue (Deathstroke Annual # 4), having gained Slade Wilson's healing factor through a blood transfusion months earlier (Deathstroke # 34).

Adeline’s new goal was “to eradicate the world of super-heroes” (Titans # 12) and, to that end, she founded a new incarnation of the H.I.V.E. (Titans # 1). Seeking the secret of her immortality, Vandal Savage kidnapped Adeline and slit her throat (# 11), unsuccessfully gambling that he could convince Cyborg to use his alien body to discover the secret of her blood. To prevent anyone from profiting from Adeline’s plight, Starfire vaporized the dying woman’s body (# 12). Searchers, Inc. lives on as Vigilance, Inc., now under the supervision of W.R. Wintergreen (Deathstroke # 60).

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Captain Samuel Lane (created by ? and Kurt Schaffenberger) served in the Vietnam War, during which he befriended Australians Hugh Hillsmith and Fred Fishkin while “stationed in Ar Rab’al Khali, no man’s land in Saudi Arabia” (Action Comics # 739). In Vietnam, Sam was wounded in his right leg and spent several days in the jungle alongside fellow soldier Slade Wilson. “Over that time a deep bond was formed as two young men talked about their lives -- and their futures. Jobs, wives, children. In that jungle every dream that offered hope seemed possible. Wounded and bleeding, they needed each other to survive. In that survival, a life-long connection was cemented. Though they would eventually lose track of each other, Slade Wilson and Sam Lane became friends for life” (Superman [current] # 68).

In time, Sam married Elinore but showed undisguised disappointment when their first-born was a girl. He began putting Lois Lane through a rigorous series of drills, determined that she would be able to function “without a man’s help.” His second child, Lucy, by contrast, had not been viewed by Sam in the same light that Lois had been and the younger child was doted on by her father. The Lanes eventually took up permanent residence at 500 Concord Avenue in Metropolis. Captain Lane had “served two tours at Fort Bridwell ... liked the area and decided to settle (there)” when he retired. Sam and Lois’ disagreements reached full boil in Metropolis and their relationship continues to be a turbulent one. Sam’s recent installation as Secretary of Defense in President Luthor’s administration (Action # 774; Superman [current] # 166) hasn’t made things easier.

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Lt. Colonel Travis Morgan (created by Mike Grell) had come to view the Air Force as something of a refuge from the troubles of his own life. The happiness of his marriage to his childhood sweetheart Rachel and the birth of their daughter Jennifer had given way to sorrow when Travis’ beloved wife was killed in a car accident (Warlord # 92). With Jennifer now cared for by Rachel’s sister, Marie, Travis returned to his aerial missions during the Vietnam War, culminating with an ill-fated reconnaissance flight over Russia on June 16, 1969. An encounter with Russian missiles left Morgan’s plane leaking fuel and he made a futile attempt to reach an Alaskan air base. Instead, the pilot’s plane plummeted through a portal at the North Pole and he found himself in an other-dimensional world known as Skartaris. In this strange new world of prehistoric beasts and ancient Atlantean technology, Travis Morgan fell in love with a beautiful native named Tara(First Issue Special # 8) and helped mount a rebellion against a despot named Deimos, earning him the new title of the Warlord (Warlord [first series] # 1-4).

An encounter with Atlantean technology unwittingly transported Morgan back to Earth (# 5), where he was stunned to learn from archaeologists in Peru that it was now 1977! Apprised of the fact that Lt. Colonel Morgan, missing for eight years, had resurfaced, the Air Force alerted the CIA, who dispatched agents to capture him. With the CIA convinced that he had defected to the Communists, Morgan had no choice but to flee back to Skartaris via the same shuttlethat brought him to Peru ... ironically, with a Russian professor Mariah Romanova at his side (# 6). Months later, the Warlord, Mariah and another ally, Machiste, finally found Tara, whom they discovered to the be the princess of Shamballah ... and the mother of Travis Morgan’s newborn son. At Tara’s suggestion, they named him after Travis’ father, Joshua (Warlord # 15).

In the course of the journey to Shamballah, the Warlord and company also faced Ben Stryker, the CIA agent from Peru who’d doggedly trailed Morgan to Skartaris to get his man (# 13). Nor would he be the last person from Earth tempted to come to the inner world in search of Travis Morgan. Foremost among them was Jennifer Morgan, who hoped to settle the rumors of her father’s alleged survival (# 38) and eventually became a powerful sorceress (# 53-54). But there would also be friends such as the lupine Mikola Rostov (# 47) and foes like a bully from Morgan’s childhood named Danny Maddox (Warlord # 91; Secret Origins # 16; Warlord # 127-131). In recent years, the Warlord has crossed path with two incarnations of Green Arrow (Green Arrow [second series] # 27-28, 118-120) and he and Skartaris have played host to the Justice League (Justice League Task Force # 34-36), the Teen Titans (Teen Titans [second series] # 9-11) and Aquaman (Aquaman [fifth series] # 71-73).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Captain Sergeant “Sarge” Steel (created by Pat Masulli, Joe Gill and Dick Giordano) was “assigned to Army Intelligence, working closely with the Central Intelligence Agency operatives in Saigon” during America’s early involvement in the Vietnam War. After his capture of a key Viet Cong terrorist named Ivan Chung, Steel found himself the subject of numerous assassination attempts. A grenade tossed at the Captain ended his military career when it blew off his left hand. He would later receive a prosthetic steel replacement (Sarge Steel # 1).

After becoming a liaison between the President and the metahuman community (Legends # 3; Adventures of Superman Annual # 1), Steel eventually found himself heading up the Central Bureau of Intelligence (Suicide Squad # 28). After several government-run groups were thrown into disarray by “the Janus Directive,” Steel was temporarily put in charge of the Checkmate, Project Atom, Project Peacemaker and the Suicide Squad (Checkmate! # 18). Although he would remain primarily affiliated with the C.B.I., the new assignments became permanent soon after (Suicide Squad # 30). After the Squad and the Atom and Peacemaker projects had been dissolved, Steel reactivated the dormant Checkmate and took direct control of the agency (Deathstroke # 17).

Soon after, Steel developed an uncharacteristic arrogance verging on megalomania, routinely abusing his power to force the New Titans (The New Titans # 100, 110, 112, 114) and the mercenary Deathstroke (Deathstroke # 46-47) under his control. After being manipulated by Arsenal into shutting down the Titans (Titans Secret Files # 1), Steel responded by attempting tomurder the hero (Arsenal Special # 1).

In light of Raven's corruption of other public officials during this period (The New Titans # 97, 102), the possibility exists that Steel may have been another of her victims. In any event, Steel later came under the more overt control of Mister Mind before being freed from the villain's grip by Captain Marvel (The Power of Shazam! # 38-40).

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Colonel Stephen Rockwell Trevor (created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter) was born “just weeks after the sneak attack of Pearl Harbor.” Both of his parents, Lt. Ulysses Stephen Trevor and famed aviator Diana Rockwell Trevor were active in World War Two and Diana continued to fly dangerous missions following the conflict’s resolution. She was lost in a mysterious plane crash in December of 1948. Ulysses grieved for his wife for the rest of his life and passed away within the past decade (Wonder Woman [current] # 12).

Inspired by his family’s military tradition, Steve Trevor joined the Air Force and served in the Vietnam conflict. Years later, he fell from grace, ironically because of his efforts to do the right thing. After testifying before a Congressional Investigation Committee about abuses of power by a trio of Generals, including Gerard Kohler and George Yedziniak (Wonder Woman [current] # 2, 32), Steve was repaid with a desk job -- assigned by Kohler. It was General Kohler, under the influence of the war god Ares, who manipulated Trevor into flying a bombing raid on the Amazonian isle of Themyscira and led to the Colonel’s meeting with Princess Diana, soon to be known as Wonder Woman (WW # 2). Though Kohler perished because of his actions, Colonel Trevor briefly stood accused of his murder and stood alongside Wonder Woman and others in ending the threat posed by Ares and his forces (WW # 3-6).

The entire experience left Steve disenchanted with the military and, after his father’s funeral (WW # 12), he “resigned (his) Air Force commission” (# 15) . For a time, Steve worked as “a safety inspector and engineering advisor specializing in military aircraft” (WW Annual # 1) while his girl friend Lt. Etta Candy continued to serve in the Air Force, eventually falling under the command of General George Yedziniak (WW # 32). After a fight with Etta, Steve began to question his decision to resign (WW # 52) and briefly reenlisted. Following an unpleasant series of experiences with General Yedziniak, Steve chose to leave once more (WW # 57-62).

Steve proposed to Etta (WW # 62) and they were soon married (sometime after WW # 78, as seen in WW # 170). Steve briefly devoted his energies to launching a commercial air service (WW # 73, 86) but he and Etta (now promoted to Captain) eventually moved back to Boston, where Steve now “does freelance consulting” on aeronautics issues (WW # 170).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lieutenant Colonel Slade Joseph Wilson (created by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal) “had lied about his age when he first joined the Army at 16 ... and he was already an army legend long before” he arrived at Camp Washington, a training camp designed to create the toughest soldiers possible. It was here that then-Major Wilson met his training instructor, Captain Adeline Kane. Little more than six months after their first meeting and his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, the couple was married, with Slade’s devoted friend, Major W.R. Wintergreen serving as best man. While Slade was in Vietnam, Adeline gave birth to a son, Grant.

Despite Adeline’s objections, “Slade volunteered for a medical experiment for resisting truth serums” and suffered a severe reaction. Remarkably, Wilson’s condition began to improve to the point that “his reflexes and strength became almost super-human. He reapplied for active duty, but the army refused him,” citing his body’s erratic reaction to the drugs in his system. A week after the birth of Slade and Addie’s second son, Joseph, word was received that Wintergreen had been captured by the Viet Cong. Defying the military, Slade singlehandedly invaded Hanoi and rescued his friend ... but was dischargedfrom the Army for his actions.

Though his leisure time was now officially spent on hunting expeditions, Slade also had a secret life unknown to Addie. He had become a costumed mercenary called Deathstroke the Terminator. The truth finally came out when one of Deathstroke’s enemies kidnapped Joseph Wilson and severed the boy’s vocal cords when Slade refused to deal with the abductor. Her mind in a turmoil, Adeline fired a gun at her husband and, despite his uncanny reflexes, she succeeded in shooting out his right eye (Tales of the Teen Titans # 44).

In years to come, the tragedies in Deathstroke’s life only increased as he saw both ofhis sons and his ex-wife die. He also had a rocky relationship with the Teen Titans, that saw them evolve from enemies to tenuous allies to adversaries once again. An accident somehow rejuvenated Slade Wilson, restoring his lost eye and giving it metahuman properties(Deathstroke # 55-59). A subsequent explosion appeared to take away his healing factor and his restored eye (# 59) and resulted in Deathstroke’s seeming death from a bullet to the head. Based on comments attributed to his friend, Wintergreen theorized that the second accident had actually restored Slade Wilson’s memories and led him to fake his death. Deathstroke’s brother-in-arms was correct (Deathstroke # 60). Inevitably, boredom overtook Slade and he resumed his mercenary career as Deathstroke (Detective Comics # 708-710).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Major W.R. Wintergreen (created by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal) had a difficult home life as a child in England, primarily due to the actions of his father, a Nazi collaborator who had barely-concealed affairs with other women. At the age of sixteen, Wintergreen recalled that he “left (home) in the manner available to gentleman of my standing. I joined the S.A.S” (Deathstroke # 26). During the Suez Crisis, Wintergreen formed a bond with American sergeant Slade Wilson when he rescued the young soldier after he was caught in a bomb blast (Teen Titans Annual # 3; Deathstroke # 5). Like Wintergreen, Wilson had enlisted in the Army when he was sixteen. Despite a fifteen year age difference between the men, Wintergreen noted that “he has always been the mentor and I his student” (Deathstroke # 26).

During the Vietnam War, Wintergreen was sent on a virtual suicide mission by Lt. Colonel Sampson, the same man who had nearly gotten Wilson killed in the Suez Crisis. Held captive in a Viet Cong prison, the British soldier watched in astonishment as a masked man in a blue and orange costume invaded the camp, killed some 38 soldiers and then demolished his bamboo cell. The man later known as Deathstroke unmasked himself to reveal the face of Slade Wilson. The unauthorized rescue wasn’t without its repercussions and Wilson was forced out of the Army by his old nemesis, Sampson. Feeling indebted to Slade, the now-retired major stepped into his friend’s life again after Wilson’s wife, Adeline, divorced him over the revelation of his Deathstroke persona and its tragic effect on their son. Wintergreen “stood by him, giving him hope” and sought “to temper his wilder whims” (Teen Titans Annual # 3).

Years later, an accident rejuvenated Slade Wilson and seemed to have stripped him of his memories of his memories (Deathstroke # 55). Having alienated his few friends, the younger Deathstroke finally appeared to perish from a bullet wound to the head. Wintergreen suspected otherwise, further noting that Slade had made references to his time in Cambodia and Vietnam that he supposedly didn’t remember. In any event, Slade clearly wished to cut all ties with his old life and Wintergreen chose to “honor his last unspoken request.” He now oversees Vigilance, Inc., an international search and rescue operation (Deathstroke # 60).

OPERATION DESERT STORM:

Tommy Monaghan (created by Garth Ennis and John McCrea) joined the Marines at the suggestion of his mentor Sean Noonan. Noting that Tommy needed to leave town while Sean dealt with the repercussions of the young man’s killing of a drug dealer, Noonan recalled that he’d joined the Corps as a teenager (Hitman # 56). Soon after enlisting, Gothamite Tommy befriended Detroit native Natt Walls and leaped to the black man’s defense when a couple racist officers jumped him. Monaghan killed both men and then helped Natt arrange a death scenario that wouldn’t implicate either of them (Hitman # 57). Tommy and Natt continued to get into trouble during Operation Desert Storm when they accidentally killed the members of a British squad and, realizing what they’d done, hastily buried the bodies (Hitman # 5).

Back in Gotham, Tommy began to establish a reputation as a hitman, a career move that only became stranger after he was attacked by an alien parasite and acquired x-ray vision and telepathic powers (The Demon Annual # 2). Tommy and Natt ultimately found themselves outgunned when they leaped to the defense of a woman who could expose the governments’ continued experiments with the parasites. As they attempted to flee the country, Natt was wounded and pleaded with Tommy to kill him rather than let him become a subject in the ghastly government project. Fatally wounded in the ensuing firefight, Tommy died next to Natt (Hitman # 60).

*****

MAKE WAR NO MORE!

JohnnyWonderMember

posted July 14, 2001 02:23 PM

A delight as always, Mik! I'll look over it for things to nitpick..LOL

-JW

JohnnyWonderMember

posted July 14, 2001 02:52 PM

One Revolutionary addition: While not herself a soldier, wasn't Miss Liberty tied to Tomahawk? (At least by Roy Thomas....)

JohnnyWonderMember

posted July 14, 2001 03:04 PM

And a note on Capt. X:

In 1941, he worked with the Shade during the Blitz, tracking down "a horrible Hun monster." It was during this mission that the Shade was possessed by Culp. (Starman [2nd series] #66)

MikishawmMember

posted July 15, 2001 10:27 AM

Thanks, Johnny!

I mostly tried to emphasize each characters solo series in the write-ups but the STARMAN appearances should definitely be included among his 1941 missions that I cited.

Yes, Miss Liberty DOES qualify for the list. I initially hadn't intended to include any costumed characters but changed the rules when I got to World War Two and forget about Miss L. Here's her entry:

Miss Liberty (created by France Herron and Fred Ray) was frontier medic Bess Lynn, whose hatred of the British during the Revolutionary War was fueled by the fact that her brother was imprisoned by the Redcoats in England. Rather than risk retaliation against her sibling, Bess took the red, white and blue alter-ego of Miss Liberty, a potent symbol that enabled her to rally other female patriots to her cause. In addition to her women's underground, Miss Liberty was also a frequent ally of Tomahawk (Tomahawk # 81) and his Rangers (# 84, 88, 101, 106). After witnessing an amnesiac Tomahawk's attraction to Lady Shilling, Bess was finally forced to admit that her own romantic feelings for the freedom fighter (# 110).

Near the end of the Revolutionary War, as she attempted to prevent the theft of the Liberty Bell, Miss Liberty was crushed when the bell was dropped on her. As he cradled her lifeless body, Tomahawk discovered that the heroine's black hair had been a wig and that she had actually been blonde Bess Lynn (All-Star Squadron # 45). Once freed from his British prison cell, Bess Lynn's brother travelled to the country that his sister had died to defend. He and his descendants, including the 20th and 21st Century heroines Liberty Belle and Jesse Quick, would ensure that the Lynn family's heroic legacy would live on.

ink_dMember

posted July 15, 2001 12:35 PM

I'm not sure if he is too straight forward mystery man, but does Qualtity's Ghost of Flanders qualify? I think he was a WWI soldier whose spirit fought in the 1940s and during WWII. I guess that would put him in both WWI and WWII.

MikishawmMember

posted July 15, 2001 02:37 PM

Yes, the Ghost of Flanders does qualify. He's on the list with the other World War One heroes as Rip Graves, though he didn't take his alter-ego until World War Two.

dataloreMember

posted July 16, 2001 08:29 AM

In a word...

...incredible.

But, a slight addendum to Easy Company members in the "here & now"....

...I think Wildman was a General in one of Firestorm's Invasion! issues, likely #80 (okay, so that is not so current, but still...)

CardinalMember

posted July 16, 2001 11:04 AM

Once again Mikishawn, you astound me! Thanks for the listing of Easy company members. I've been trying to compile one for a long time. Keep up the excellent work!

MikishawmMember

posted July 16, 2001 05:53 PM

Datalore:

Many thanks! It was FIRESTORM # 80 and, though he isn't named, the General in question sure LOOKS like Wildman. The modern Easy Company also showed up in STARMAN [first series] # 5 though Wildman wasn't among them.

And, hey, Cardinal, glad I could help!

outpost2Member

posted July 17, 2001 09:55 PM

Mikishawn,
As always, an amazing piece of work!
I hope you can answer a few questions for me...

Under the Boy Commandos entry:
Tex & Percy first appeared in what issues?
Also, wasn't Brooklyn first called the Terrible Turpin in Kirby's original New Gods series?

Don't know if it was an oversight, but there was no separate entry for the Losers.
Didn't Ona officially join the Losers in Our Fighting Forces #135?
And I believe a young kid named Lennie Thomas joined the Losers in #176.

Did Heller have a solo feature (OFF #121) before she(?) joined Hunter's Hellcats?
Going on memory alone here.

I believe Lt. Larry Rock was called the Fightin' Devil-Dog on the covers of Our Fighting Forces.
Was he ever called that by the characters within the stories themselves?

And what about the characters from the Guns Of The Dragon mini-series?
I believe Miss Fear first appeared in Modern Comics #49 (May 1946) by Quality Comics.
She first appeared in a DC Comic in either Guns Of The Dragon #1 or #2.
Even though her first published appearance at Quality was after WWII, the mini took place in the Spring of 1927, so perhaps she was active during the war.
Biff Bradley, who first appeared in Guns Of The Dragon #1, died in issue #4.
Is it possible he was active during WWI?
(Additional info for this mini: Enemy Ace, Bat Lash, and Chop-Chop all made appearances.)

The Boy Commandos entry points out one of the Golden Age gaps in my collection -- I've read no post-war episodes of the series! A text page in the two-issue BOY COMMANDOS reprint series discussed the introductions of Tex and Percy in great detail -- but didn't reveal WHERE they'd debuted. To date, I haven't found the issue numbers. I'll keep searching. And, yes, Jack Kirby referred to his police officer character as Daniel "Terrible" Turpin in NEW GODS [first series] # 5 and 8.

Since all of the original Losers began in series of their own, I decided to just proceed with individual entries for the members (even Ona, who DID debut in OUR FIGHTING FORCES # 135) and skip the team entry. And thanks a million for remembering Lennie Thomas, who, just as you recall, became an honorary Loser in OFF # 176! He returned in # 179.

No, Heller strictly appeared in the Hellcats stories.

The Larry Rock feature WAS called "Fightin' Devil-Dog" but -- to point out another gap -- I don't possess the original OFF series so I can't say for sure that he was referred to in the stories by that name.

In the case of GUNS OF THE DRAGON, I mentioned Enemy Ace's participation but he was the only definitive war hero I could find therein. The Chop-Chop in the story is probably a relative of the Blackhawk member (who doesn't appear to be QUITE this old). Biff COULD be a WWI vet but it wasn't mentioned and I didn't want to speculate. The same goes for Miss Fear (originally known simply as Fear). Her origin might reveal more but her second appearance (BLACKHAWK # 13) offers no clue. I really like the idea that she might have been a freedom fighter in WWII, though.

Thanks again for the questions and additions. They were much appreciated!

batjackMember

posted July 18, 2001 08:43 AM

Mikishawn, wow!
Talk about comprehensive. I can't believe the amount of time and research you must have put in to do this. I must ask, how many of these issues do you own?
But, I must add some addendums.

The Blackhawks were co-created by Will Eisner and Chuck Cuidera.

Nitpicking time.. the Viking Prince fought the Nazi's in a two parter I have in one of my boxes.When I find it I'll pass on the numbers.

I remember reading a column by Bob Kanigher that also Sgt. Rock didn't survive WW2. Supposedly he died by the very last bullet fired in the war. Of course this completly contradicts all those Haney Brave and Bold's and the current Superman continuity where he's on the general staff.

By the by, I wonder if Firehawk, Tomahawk's son, survived long enough to fight in the American Civil war? His series seemed to be set just prior to that period.

Again, I am in total amazement at your work.
Give peace a chance,
Batjack

Oh How We LaughedMember

posted July 18, 2001 08:57 AM

If you read the excellent time travel arc in Swamp Thing of more than a decade ago (late 80's)Swampy travels back through time and meets all manner of DC historical folk. In one issue set in the old west of the late 1870's, Hawk, son of Tomahawk and Firehair appear - both are old men in their seventies. It is entirely possible that a late fifties to early sixties aged Hawk was active in the Civil War as a U.S scout.

Also in that issue, Super Chief (reduced to an incoherent Hulk type)appeared and it was infered that his jewel kept him immortal (SC was already several hundred years old at the time) so he could feasibly have been around still by the world wars.

dataloreMember

posted July 18, 2001 09:06 AM

Another quick addition...

...Flower, a soldier in Easy Company, who appeared, just to be killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths 3...

(I know, the questionable continuity there, but let's be complete...)

...and I'm not 100% sure, but I do think it was implied heavily that the General in Firestorm 80 was Wildman (I'll try to check it in the next few days, but I think he had that on his name tag...)

And, what was the name of the soldier Swamp Thing possessed when he met Sgt. Rock (in Rick Veitch's great "backwards" look through DC history?)

One more...

...were General Glory and Ernie soldiers?

JohnnyWonderMember

posted July 18, 2001 11:29 AM

Originally posted by batjack:

Nitpicking time.. the Viking Prince fought the Nazi's in a two parter
I have in one of my boxes. When I find it I'll pass on the numbers.

A few months ago, Mik profiled the various and often contradictory accounts of the Viking Prince over at the Birds of Prey board; VP was appearing in the book at the time. In that write-up, he mentions the World War II business:http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/files/Forum5/HTML/000658.html

I wrote this up months ago, in anticipation of this week's issue of BIRDS OF PREY. Hope it answers some questions:

It was a series that ran a modest 25 episodes between 1955 and 1959. And yet 18 of those stories have been reprinted. And in a 27-year span between 1966 and 1992, the title character made at least one comic book appearance (usually reprints) in 16 of those years. For all that, the series artist, Joe Kubert, insisted "it was just another story"(Robin Snyder's THE COMICS (1991) # 10).

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD had been launched in 1955 as a vehicle for three separate period adventure strips -- The Golden Gladiator, the Silent Knight and -- The Viking Prince.

Set in 964 A.D., the series opened with the discovery of an amnesiac blonde man in "the choppy waters off the coast of Norway." He was taken in by the fishing village's Captain Olaf and his blonde daughter Gunnda, both of whom quickly became targets of the forces of Baron Thorvald for harboring "the traitor." Singlehandedly, the stranger drove off the intruders and left Gunnda inspired. "You fought like Jon, the Shining -- the great Viking prince of old!" she exclaimed. "We shall call you 'Jon' after him."

In months to come, Baron Thorvald and Jon would clash repeatedly, with the detail soon emerging that the Viking Prince was the true heir to the throne that Thorvald occupied. In BRAVE & BOLD itself, the line-up changed slightly as Robin Hood replaced the Golden Gladiator, resulting in a single transitional issue (# 6) in which the Viking Prince did not appear.

Bob Kanigher, who'd created the series with artist Joe Kubert, left the Viking Prince after the second episode. Bill Finger wrote the third story along with the episodes in # 5, 15 and 22 but the vast majority of the series would come from the typewriter of the scripter most closely associated with THE BRAVE & THE BOLD -- Bob Haney. Kanigher, who seems to have maintained an editorial presence on the strip, later wrote in THE COMICS (1991) # 6 that "had I realized then, as I do now, the potential inherent in the character, I never would have let go of my creation."

Issues # 14 and 15 marked the end of an era for Jon. In the former, the Viking Prince found himself making a last stand against marauders in an eerie echo of the events leading up to B&B # 1. Forced over a cliff, Jon appeared to drown but returned as a "ghost," preying on the villains' superstitions to free the village from bondage. The happy reunion of Jon with Olaf and Gunnda was overshadowed by the fact that they'd never see each other again.

Issue # 15 opened with Jon being captured by Thorvald's forces, stuffed in a barrel and thrown into the sea. Incredibly, Jon wound up in Baghdad and played a "Viking Genie" to depose a tyrant. In gratitude, an Egyptian man gave the Prince a boat to sail back to Norway!

With # 16, Haney initiated the first major revamp of the series. Here, Jon explained that "Torgunn, the Claw, sits as ruler of my father's kingdom -- knowing I cannot claim my throne until I perform Thor's twelve tasks." Thanks to a potion offered by Tirgunn's lover Ulrica, Jon found himself afflicted with on-again, off-again amnesia. After a mute minstrel defied Torgunn and tossed a sword to the blonde warrior, the tyrant commanded the Bard to accompany the Viking prince in his travels. Jon proved as much the ladies' man as ever, rescuing Ylla, the auburn-haired daughter of King Harold of Skane twice in the course of # 16's story.

When E. Nelson Bridwell reprinted the story in 1971's DC SPECIAL # 12, he made some minor dialogue changes that established Thorvald as a subordinate of Torgunn and explained that the Bard had been separted from Jon for the months recounted in B&B # 1-15.

In the second phase of the Viking Prince's adventures, fantasy elements became more prevalent. Earlier, everything from the Hammer of Thor (# 3) to sea serpents (# 5) to fire trolls (# 8) were debunked and dismissed with logical explanations. Now, though, Jon was fighting snow warriors and an Ice King (# 18), opposing Moon Vikings alongside the Valkyries (# 19) and defying "Wotan, lord of the underworld" (# 20).

This period also took the frigid conditions of Norway into account. Originally, Jon had been bare-chested, clad in a blue loincloth with a stylized gold belt, wrist bracelets and boots. Now, though, he wore chainmail, a winged helmet, fur cape and loincloth and an insulated shirt and pants. For his third incarnation in B&B # 23 and 24, Jon lost the chainmail, pants and cape but consistently began wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt with a red circle on his chest.

By 1959, DC was having great success with its try-out book, SHOWCASE, having already launched such strips as the Flash, Challengers of the Unknown and Lois Lane. Gambling that a second spotlight book would generate hits even faster, DC decided to convert B&B into a SHOWCASE-like title. Thus, with issues # 23 and 24, the Viking Prince was given a final chance to sink or swim. With the shrunken B&B banner now secondary to a Viking Prince logo on the cover and the interior entirely devoted to him with two stories per issue, this would be the closest Jon would ever come to his own title.

Once again, Haney and Kubert chose to do a relaunch, this time offering a full-blown "Origin of the Viking Prince." In this account, we finally saw Jon's father, King Rikk, the Storm Cloud, and got a glimpse of the Prince's boyhood. The story also offered a new love interest in the form of Asa, the blonde daughter of King Harold of Skane (recycling the name from # 16). The two sovereigns had arranged for Jon and Asa to marry as adults and unite their kingdoms and, despite rigorous objections on the part of both children, love did eventually blossom.

The Mute Bard appeared in this account, as well. Asa convinced him to teach her fighting "skills to make my king proud of me." Once again, Jon's father was toppled from the throne, this time by Torgo, the Dragon King, but there would be no amnesia or quests in round three. Instead, the Viking Prince immediately leaped into the fray and defeated the man who would steal his kingdom.

Though the four stories in BRAVE & BOLD # 23 and 24 arguably represented the pinnacle of the Viking Prince's career, they were also his farewell. By the summer of 1959, the Suicide Squad was appearing in B&B and Jon had been sent to Valhalla -- literally. The story of the Viking Prince's fate would have to wait until the end of 1965 when Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert revived their creation in the unlikely arena of World War Two-era Europe.

In a two-part Sgt. Rock episode (OUR ARMY AT WAR # 162 and 163), it was explained that Jon, who'd been ambushed and left for dead, had been taken to Valhalla by a lovestruck Valkyrior maiden. Upon learning that the warrior had not been meant to perish, an angry Odin returned the Viking Prince to Earth, insisting that he must die in battle for real. Complicating matters was Odin's stipulation that Jon could not be harmed by metal, wood, fire or water. After being thawed out of a Norwegian icebank, the Viking Prince joined Sgt. Rock and Easy Company in battle, suicidally seeking a glorious death in battle. He finally seemed to meet his goal when he was killed by plastique explosives tossed at a Nazi rocket launching pad.

Never one to waste a good idea, Kanigher revived the concept with artist George Evans for an ongoing series in 1979-1980's short-lived ALL-OUT WAR. The blonde, bearded Valoric had, like Jon, been taken before his time and, at Odin's command, returned to Earth in post-D-Day World War Two. Fey, the Valkyrie who loved him, was sentenced to shadow Valoric until he truly perished. Recruited to fight the modern equivalent of the Huns, the Viking Commando became a force to be reckoned with over the course of seven episodes, the last of which was serialized in 1982's UNKNOWN SOLDIER # 266 and 267.

Meanwhile, the original Viking Prince had been in the public eye on a semi-regular basis thanks to frequent reprintings of the original series. On the heels of a reprint in 1969's Joe Kubert showcase in DC SPECIAL # 5, episodes from B&B # 11 and 12 complemented the Enemy Ace series in STAR-SPANGLED WAR STORIES # 149 and 150 (1970). 1971's DC SPECIAL # 12 was a veritable BRAVE & BOLD celebration with a reprint of all three stories from B&B # 1 and a Robin Hood adventure. The Viking Prince got top billing, though, with issue # 5's "Ice Dragon" and # 16's relaunch appearing along with his origin. Kubert actually drew new splashes for two of the Viking Prince stories, notably an impressive piece that finally depicted the events immediately preceding B&B # 1.

DC made two attempts to establish Viking Prince reprints as a back-up to the Batman team-ups in odd-numbered issues of THE BRAVE & THE BOLD. In late 1971/early 1972, episodes from # 20 and 19 appeared in B&B # 99 and 101 before the reprint format was abandoned. A second run during the 1974 "100-Page Super-Spectacular"-era managed to get three of the four 1959 relaunch stories back into print in B&B # 113, 115 and 117. Jon's berth in 1976's DC SPECIAL lasted only two issues (# 24 and 25) before the focus on period adventurers (The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood) came to an end. One last reprint boom came in 1988, courtesy of the six issue BEST OF THE BRAVE & THE BOLD (each issue cover-featuring a Neal Adams-illustrated Batman team-up) and SGT. ROCK SPECIAL # 1 (collecting the 1965 Sgt. Rock two-parter).

The Viking Prince appeared in a honest-to-goodness new story in 1978, a cramped outing in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 159 and 160 that found Jon plucked out of the timestream along with other long-dead heroes and trading blows with the Justice League and Justice Society. The Viking Prince found himself tossed into similar mass gatherings in 1985's ALL-STAR SQUADRON # 54-55 and 1986's DC CHALLENGE # 3, 9, 10 and 12. A much quieter guest-shot was included in 1990's TIME MASTERS # 5 and 6, set in the Thorvald/Gunnda period. 1987's SILVERBLADE tossed in the detail that Jon had been immortalized in a 1948 film entitled "The Viking Prince."

Amidst all this, Bob Kanigher penned a final, four-part Viking Prince story for 1982's ARAK, SON OF THUNDER # 8-11 at the request of editor Dick Giordano. Jan Duursema, a graduate of the Kubert School provided the art. Putting Jon's adventures in a book whose lead character was an Indian raised by Vikings was a logical enough idea but "Frozen Hell For A Viking" got virtually no publicity (even on the covers) and, to Kanigher's chagrin, no responses in the letter column.

Typical of the series, "Frozen Hell" tweaked Jon's history again, introducing his twin sister Ailsa, a red-haired lover named Illan, a dwarf ally known as Evor and a benevolent witch named Gorra while retaining the Mute Bard. The story opened with the revelation that Jon's left arm had been cut off and the plot only got darker from there. Gorra managed to reattach the arm but it hung dead at Jon's side as he raced after the kidnapper of his sister. With the villain's sword at her throat, Ailsa plunged from a tower to her death rather than have her brother surrender his own life on her behalf.

Faced with several conflicting accounts of the Viking Prince's history, an entry in DC's WHO'S WHO # 25 (1986) simply devoted a paragraph to each, describing them all as legends. That legend grew by one in 1991 when Lee Marrs and another Kubert graduate, Bo Hampton, collaborated on a particularly nicely done hardback entitled VIKING GLORY: THE VIKING PRINCE. Marrs' story took the thread of Jon and Asa's arranged marriage from BRAVE & BOLD # 23 and spun an engaging love story mixed with a plot to usurp the kingdom from Asa's father and the climactic battle with a dragon. In this account, Jon and Asa's fathers were Rollo of Gallund and Horik of Hedeby, respectively.

Arguably, the first time many readers saw the Viking Prince was via the reprints in a 1970s issue of THE BRAVE & THE BOLD or the more recent BEST OF THE BRAVE & THE BOLD series, all of which boasted Batman on their covers. Logically, then, a full-fledged team-up between the Viking Prince and the Dark Knight would be a good promotional tool for the impending release of the softcover version of VIKING GLORY. The end result was the Mark Kneece/Bo Hampton story in 1992's LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT # 35-36, which featured parallel stories of the original Viking Prince and a Batman-like warrior alongside the present day Dark Knight and Jon Riksson. Riksson, an Olympic gymnast and descendant of the Viking Prince, had taken his ancestor's persona to publicize the sinister activities of a nuclear facility in his native Gallund, Norway.

Now after nearly a decade without either a new or reprinted appearance, Jon has returned, appearing once more in a Batman satellite book. The legend of the Viking Prince lives on.

And there's more good news on the reprint front. Over at Dixonverse, Chuck Dixon mentioned that DC has an Archive format JOE KUBERT LIBRARY in the works that will begin with his 1950s work on TOR and move on to series like ... the Viking Prince!

Thanks as always, Johnny! Here's a quick answer to your question:

The Golden Gladiator was Marcus, the star of a very short-lived strip (five episodes in 1955 and 1956's BRAVE & BOLD # 1-4 and 6) who nonetheless achieved a measure of fame by appearing in that historic first issue of B&B, having his origin reprinted twice (in DC SPECIAL # 12 and BEST OF THE BRAVE & THE BOLD # 1) and even getting an entry in 1985's WHO'S WHO # 9. Russ Heath provided the exquisite art while scripts came from France Herron (B&B # 1-3), Bob Kanigher (# 4) and Bill Finger (# 6).

He'd been a sheepherder in ancient Rome who was falsely imprisoned for an assassination attempt on Praetor Clodius Crassus, purchased as the slave by the true conspirator (the nobleman Cinna) and sent into the arena to die as a gladiator. Instead, Marcus defied the odds, beating each threat and ultimately winning his freedom. Announcing that "your bonds of slavery were shattered in the arena," the Praetor handed him his prize. "Accept this helmet of pure gold -- Golden Gladiator."

In the remaining four episodes, Marcus continued to win accolades from the Praetor for his activities in the arena and in the service of Rome even as Cinna continued to plot against him and Cinna's niece, Lucia, yearned for Marcus' love. Cinna and Lucia appeared for the last time in B&B # 4. Perhaps the most notable villain of the series was no less that Attila the Hun in B&B # 2. (Reprints of the first four Golden Gladiator stories can be found in 1988's BEST OF THE BRAVE & THE BOLD # 1, 3, 4 and 5).

His only subsequent appearance in a new story came as part of the mob scene in 1985's ALL-STAR SQUADRON # 54 and 55. He was meant to appear in Rick Veitch's now famous "Swamp Thing Meets Christ" story intended for 1989's SWAMP THING # 88. That story, of course, was killed by DC at the last minute, leading to Veitch's exodus from the title and Neil Gaiman's refusal to continue the strip as had been intended. And the Golden Gladiator hasn't even been mentioned since then.

MikishawmMember

posted July 18, 2001 06:34 PM

Batjack --

Thanks for the compliments and comments. My run of the various DC war books is spotty but I have a lot of 'em. I've also benefitted from my friend Mike Tiefenbacher (editor of THE COMIC READER in the 1970s and 1980s), who swept through some of the books for me back in the mid-1990s. I also have a nice selection of Golden Age titles on microfiche (MILITARY # 1-30 in their entirety!) and sporadic other Quality books on CD-Rom. These were tremendously helpful in writing many of these entries.

The Blackhawk creator credit stems from Chuck Cuidera's comments in interviews over the past couple years. Essentially, Chuck has said that the Blackhawks were created entirely by him and I think Will Eisner eventually conceded the point in a convention transcript that ran in CBG. DC's Millennium Edition of MILITARY # 1 mostly skirted around the issue but said that Eisner "seems to have had a hand in the development of the team."

If the Viking Prince had hung around longer (as the Viking Commando did), I might have counted him. As it is, he was just a time-traveller who was passing though. Johnny supplied the link to my history of the character (thanks, JW!) but the story in question was in OUR ARMY AT WAR # 162-163.

The subject of Kanigher's plans for Sgt. Rock is dealt with in the Rock history over at a Fanzing.

As for Hawk, SWAMP THING # 86 placed his year of birth in 1800 so he'd have been pushing sixty by the time hostilities broke out. In any event, as Oh How We Laughed and Datalore pointed out, the elderly Hawk was still around as late as 1870, as seen in SWAMP THING # 85.

Datalore --

Thanks to Mike Tiefenbacher, I actually do have a list of every one-shot Easy Company soldier. I only listed the recurring characters but it sounds like there's enough interest to run the complete roster, with Flower, et al. Stay tuned ...

I checked FIRESTORM # 80 and there's one panel (page 13, panel 2) where, if you strain, the nametag COULD read Wildman. Whether he was named or not, it's obvious in reading his dialogue that he was SUPPOSED to be Wildman.

Hey! General Glory and Ernie WERE soldiers! Okay, I'll see if I can rustle up three new entries (these guys, plus Lennie Thomas) along with the Easy line-up!

Thanks again, everyone! You're great!

MikishawmMember

posted July 18, 2001 09:13 PM

Ernest E. Ernest (created by J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen) was the mascot at Camp Henderson during 1942, left orphaned after his father was killed in battle. Convinced he could channel the grieving youngster's energies in a positive direction, General Glory invited the boy to be his partner in battling the Axis. Ernie, the Battlin' Boy fought by General Glory's side until 1945, when the elder hero vanished after allegedly turning traitor. Shaken, Ernie threw himself into a military career, ultimately attaining the rank of Major in the present. In the past decade, Ernie and General Glory were finally reunited and Major Ernest learned that his mentor had been betrayed and framed for treason (Justice League America # 48-50).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

General Glory (created by J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen) was a soldier named Joseph Jones, who was the lone survivor of a Nazi bombing raid in France at an early point in 1942. Jones saw a vision of Lady Liberty, who granted him super-powers and the new star-spangled persona of General Glory. The United States chose to keep the General's existence a secret, even going so far as to commission a comic book based on the hero to create the impression that he was only a fictional construct. As the Allies' secret weapon, General Glory fought Axis forces throughout World War Two, soon joined by a costumed youngster, Ernie, the Battlin' Boy. In 1945, Glory's government supervisor, J. Newkirk Sharp, sent his operative on a mission in the Arctic with the intention of wiping out his memory and stealing the hero's girl friend for his own. Sharp's treachery continued with his creation of an elaborate cover story that indicated General Glory had turned traitor (Justice League America # 48, 50).

In the past decade, an elderly Joe Jones finally regained his complete memories thanks in part to Justice Leaguer Guy Gardner. With the League's help, the still-youthful General Glory finally exposed Sharp's plot and was reunited with Ernie. In the wake of the adventure, the General joined the JLA (Justice League America # 46-50). Even the eternally optimistic General eventually became disenchanted with modern-day heroes and finally quit the group (Justice League Europe # 36).

After a transformation from General Glory back to his true form, Joe Jones suffered severe chest pains and realized that any further changes might prove fatal. In the hospital, Jones met a quadriplegic former police officer named Donovan Wallace. Judging Wallace to be a worthy successor, Jones passed on his powers to the man and suffered a fatal heart attack soon after (Justice League International Quarterly # 16).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lennie Thomas (created by Bob Kanigher and George Evans) was a teenager whose parents were murdered by the S.S. in Normandy during World War Two. The Losers helped the young man avenge his parents and declared him an honorary member of the team (Our Fighting Forces # 176). Lennie was subsequently recruited by the O.S.S. to join the Losers on a second mission in France involving the destruction of a Nazi weapons site (# 179).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And finally, those of you that are prone to eye-strain may want to leave the room ...

Mikishawn,
Thanks for the update - re: the Blackhawks, I have an interview somewhere where either Eisner himself or one of his co-workers 'remembers' Eisner creating the Blackhawks - and where he is supposed to have named 'Chuck' after Cuidera. Well, you never know, d'ya...
By the by, I couldn't find anything on the Haunted Tank apart from your one-line here, and I was wondering if you count the crew's re-appearance in THE DEMON as part of the canon?
Make War No More
Batjack

HellstoneMember

posted July 23, 2001 12:19 PM

Impressive work, Mikishawm.

Two teeny-weeny details to add, though:

As described in the modern STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #1 (of the "JSA returns" event), mysteryman "King" Standish was another member/agent of the O.S.S.

And the Unknown Soldier was a one-time member of Easy Company (in the guise of "Doc") (SWAMP THING (Vol. 2) #82)

dataloreMember

posted July 23, 2001 05:12 PM

Mikishawm...

...incredible!

(And, oddly enough, it was coming across that Justice League Quarterly #16
that made me think of General Glory... and wonder if we will ever see General Glory II).

MikishawmMember

posted July 23, 2001 06:42 PM

Hellstone, thanks for the additions, especially the "King" Standish reminder.

Batjack, the rest of the war bios (including the Haunted Tank) are located at this link:

http://www.fanzing.com/fanzing36/feature2.shtml

... but, no, for reasons explained there, I have to regard the Haunted Tank crew that
appeared in THE DEMON as one that popped in from another reality on the eve of "Zero Hour."

batjackMember

posted July 24, 2001 06:14 AM

Amazing!
I bow down to your dedication! Again, thanks for pointing me at your treatise.
I agree with you about the Haunted tank story over in Demon; Zero Hour anomaly makes
perfect sense to me too.

Addendum to your Tomahawk / Hawk/ Rangers post: Cannonball turned up in
one of the Hawk stories as a bad guy who later relented. I'm sorry, but as
per usual it's in one of my boxes so I can't find the number.

But I'm sure you'll find it. Y'know, Hawk was one of my favourite
series as a kid, but boy, was it hard to find here in the Welsh capital!
Took me until this year to find an issue I was missing.
And did that feel good!

Make War No More
Batjack

outpost2Member

posted July 29, 2001 10:41 PM

Thought I’d add a little raw data on the Blackhawks to this thread. The following
information comes from a number of sources including the Grand Comic Database,
Dan Thompson’s Blackhawk web site (
http://blackhawk66.topcities.com/webdata66/blk_main.html
), and my own collection.

*****************************
*****************************

Military Comics #1 (Aug 1941)
Introducing Blackhawk. Intro and death of Blackhawk’s brother Jack and sister
Connie (both buried by Blackhawk). A minimum of eight Blackhawks, including Blackhawk
himself, are depicted. Baker, a Cockney Englishman, is the only one named.

Modern Comics #48 (Apr 1946)
World War II is over. The Blackhawks vote to remain together and fight peacetime menaces.

Modern Comics #49 (May 1946)
Blackhawk first encounters the woman named Fear.

Blackhawk [Quality series] #17 (Winter 47-48)
The origin of Chuck is revealed. Death of Chuck’s father (called “Wilson”); his mother is
revealed to have died before this story. Chuck’s last name assumed to be “Wilson”.

Blackhawk [Quality series] #40 (May 1951)
Introducing She-Hawke (Sheila Hawke; a lady Blackhawk) in a story entitled “The Eighth
Blackhawk”. That’s the only data I could find on this issue. It is unclear from this
information alone whether she is a hero or villain.

Blackhawk [Quality series] #50 (Mar 1952)
First appearance of the villain called Killer Shark. The origin of the Blackhawks is
retold in text (later reprinted in #107). Blackhawk is established as an American.
Hendrickson is said to have escaped from a Nazi concentration camp.

Blackhawk [Quality series] #56 (Sep 1952)
First appearance of the War Wheel (designed by the Communists).

Blackhawk [Quality series] #67 (Aug 1953)
Hendrickson is established as a German.

Blackhawk [Quality series] #71 (Dec 1953)
The origin of the Blackhawks is retold. Blackhawk is again identified as an American,
Hendrickson is again identified as a German.

Blackhawk [Quality series] #75 (Apr 1954)
First appearance of Jet, believed to be the bird later called Blackie the Hawk.
Blackie would later become a team mascot. Introduction and death of Hendrickson’s father.
Hendrickson’s first name revealed to be “Hans”.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #108 (Jan 1957)
First DC Comics issue. First appearance of Blackie the Hawk, a team mascot.
See also Blackhawk [Quality series] #75.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #112 (May 1957)
Story four is entitled “The Eighth Blackhawk”. I couldn’t find any additional information
about the story, so I can’t tell if there’s any relevance to the title.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #117 (Oct 1957)
Olaf’s last name is revealed to be “Bjornson”.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #147 (Apr 1960)
Blackhawk is transported to the year 2060 AD, where he meets the future Blackhawks.
The team consists of only three members: Ra’gan (the leader), Tor, and Xeo.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #164 (Sep 1961)
The origin of the Blackhawks is retold in text. When the Germans invaded Poland on
September 1st, 1939, a young American nicknamed “Blackhawk”, and his friend
Stanislaus, were voluntary fliers in the Polish Air Force. Stan was a brilliant
young student from the University of Warsaw.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #180 (Jan 1963)
12 year old orphan, Dickie Johnson, is named the official Blackhawk mascot after
saving Blackhawk’s life.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #181 (Feb 1963)
The Blackhawks meet Tiny Big, the Tom Thumb Blackhawk. I have no other information about
this issue. Returns in #195.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #197 (June 1964)
At the request of Mr. Cipher, the Blackhawks don new uniforms (red and black shirts, green
pants, brown boots and belt) so that they are not recognized on their next mission.
After the mission is completed, the heroes decide to keep the new uniforms, adding a
Blackhawk emblem.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #198 (July 1964)
The origin of the Blackhawks is retold. Blackhawk and Stanislaus were the last of the
Polish Eagle Squadron which was destroyed by the Germans. They harassed the Nazis
until they finally escaped to England. While the D-Day landing was in preparation,
the Blackhawks were formed as an official allied task force to prepare for the invasion.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #203 (Dec 1964)
The origin of Chop-Chop is told. Chop-Chop’s real name revealed to be “Liu Huang”.
He fought the Japanese invaders in China as the White Dragon, then joined the Blackhawks
as it’s final member.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #228 (Jan 1967)
Part 1 of 3. Mr. Delta of G.E.O.R.G.E. (Group for Extermination of Organizations of Revenge,
Greed and Evil) and members of the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Flash, and
Green Lantern) meet to discuss the possible disbanding of the Blackhawks by the government.
After testing the Blackhawks, the government decides the team is finished.
Note: It is possible that all tales from this point on through #250 take place not on
Earth-One, but on Earth-12, the home of the Inferior Five.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #229 (Feb 1967)
Part 2 of 3. The Blackhawks have decided to continue on their own, upgrading their look.
Blackhawk becomes the Big Eye, Hendrickson becomes the Weapons Master, and Chuck becomes
the Listener.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #242 (Aug-Sep 1968)
G.E.O.R.G.E. is destroyed. The Blackhawks discard their super-hero identities and return
to their original costumes. Blackhawk’s real name is revealed to be “Bart Hawk”.
Blackhawk learns that their enemy is his brother, Jack, who he had believed was killed
during the war. Jack had been shot down because of a tactical mistake for which Bart blamed
his superiors in the U.S. Air Force. Bart quit and formed his own outfit, the Blackhawks.
Jack was brainwashed by the Nazis and is now called Black Mask.

Justice League Of America #107 (Sep-Oct 1973)
On Earth-X, the President had a heart attack in 1944. By the time the U.S. had developed
the atomic bomb, the Germans had one too, and neither side dared use it, so the war
continued on. It is revealed that the Blackhawks, Plastic Man, and others had died
fighting in the war. Then, in the late 1960’s, the Nazis developed a mind-control ray
that allowed them to dominate the world within weeks. Now, after five years as an
underground resistance force, the Freedom Fighters, with the aid of the Justice League
and Justice Society, destroy the mind-control devices, all but ending the Nazis’ reign.
Note: The heroes of Earth-X are later retconned to have originated on Earth-Two.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #244 (Jan-Feb 1976)
Series revival. Blackhawk uses the alias “Mr. Cunningham”. The Blackhawks are now
mercenaries, taking on missions for the U.S. government for a price. Their uniforms are
blue with red trim, and collars open to the waist. Chop-Chop has been renamed “Chopper”.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #245 (Mar-Apr 1976)
Introducing Elsa Hendrickson, who locates her father on Blackhawk Island. A new villain,
Anti-Man, reveals himself to be Boris, a former Blackhawk who believes he was left for dead
in Angola by his teammates.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #246 (May-June 1976)
It is revealed that Boris was believed killed when the lab of a mad scientist named
Professor Distov exploded. The Blackhawks were unaware that the mountain was a source
of anti-matter energy, which granted Boris special powers. Chopper had never met Boris,
and in fact was his replacement on the team. When Boris is captured, he tries to kill the
Blackhawks by exploding his own body. The Blackhawks escape, and Boris is apparently destroyed.

Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
The secret origin of the Justice League is revealed; the adventure takes place before the
origin presented in Justice League Of America #9. The Earth-One Blackhawks appear.
(Takes place a decade or so in the past).

The Brave And The Bold #167 (Oct 1980)
The Earth-Two Blackhawks team up with Batman to destroy a secret Nazi super-weapon.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #251 (Oct 1982)
Series revival. The series begins on May 11, 1940. The origin of Blackhawk is retold.
Poland was invaded on September 1st, 1939. His brother Jack was killed, and Blackhawk
donned his uniform, sometime during the early days of the invasion. At first, the Blackhawks
consisted of only Blackhawk himself and his friend Stanislaus. A total of seven members are
mentioned. Note: The creators of this latest revival clearly state that the adventures they
are presenting take place on Earth-One, and that no previous appearances should be
considered part of Earth-One continuity.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #252 (Nov 1982)
May 12, 1940. The Blackhawks first encounter the War Wheel, built by a traitor named
Professor Merson.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #253 (Dec 1982)
May 14, 1940. The origin of Hendrickson is told. He went off to war on September 11th, 1939,
leaving his wife Violet behind in their Dutch village of Aikmaanen. It appears that
Hendrickson was the Blackhawks’ third member.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #258 (May 1983)
Blackhawk Island is destroyed by a German atomic bomb prototype. The plans for the bomb are
destroyed along with the island.

Blackhawk [1st DC series] #266 (Jan 1984)
Theodore R. Gaynor is recommended to the Blackhawk Squadron to replace Chop-Chop. Born in
Wisconsin in 1912, Gaynor had been assigned to a classified special unit of the U.S. Marine
Corps from 1937 to September 1939. Professor Merson, inventor of the War Wheel, returns to Britain.

Guy Gardner: Warrior #24 (Sep 1994)
Due to some bizarre side-effect of Zero Hour, a version of Lady Blackhawk (Zinda Blake)
is relocated to the present. Note: She becomes a recurring character in the Guy Gardner:
Warrior series from #29 (Mar 1995) on. She also appears in JLA: Year One #8 (Aug 1998)
and #12 (Dec 1998).

JLA: Year One #2 (Feb 1998)
The Blackhawks are shown wearing the red and black uniforms first shown in Blackhawk
[1st DC series] #197 (June 1964). Blackhawk mentions that it is time to upgrade their image.
All seven of the core Blackhawks are alive and well. (Takes place approximately 10 years in
the past).

JLA: Year One #8 (Aug 1998)
The Blackhawks discard the red and black uniforms for the super-hero identities introduced
in Blackhawk [1st DC series] #229 (Feb 1967) - #230 (Mar 1967). Blackhawk and the team then
decide against the idea, and return to their original black uniforms. Lady Blackhawk
(Zinda Blake) appears. (Takes place approximately 10 years in the past).

JLA: Year One #11 (Nov 1998)
Blackhawk appears. (Takes place approximately 10 years in the past).

JLA: Year One #12 (Dec 1998)
The Blackhawks and Lady Blackhawk (Zinda Blake) appear. (Takes place approximately
10 years in the past).

Silver Age #1 (July 2000)
An image of Blackhawk is shown. (Takes place approximately 10 years in the past).

Silver Age: Showcase #1 (July 2000)
Blackhawk joins six other heroes as a member of the new Seven Soldiers of Victory.
(Takes place approximately 10 years in the past).

Silver Age 80-Page Giant #1 (July 2000)
Blackhawk appears as a member of the new Seven Soldiers of Victory.
(Takes place approximately 10 years in the past).

outpost2Member

posted July 29, 2001 10:52 PM

And, based on the info presented above, here's my best guess on how to
break down the various Blackhawk incarnations...

*****************************
*****************************

The Blackhawks: [Earth-Two/Earth-X Universe]

The Blackhawks first appeared in Military Comics #1 (Aug 1941) by
Quality Comics. Active on Earth-Two from September 1939 to April 1st,
1942. Migrated to Earth-X on April 1st, 1942, as shown in All-Star
Squadron #50 (Oct 1985). Later killed battling the Nazi menace, as shown
in Justice League Of America #107 (Sep-Oct 1973). Note: It is assumed that
the adventures of the Blackhawks of Earth-Quality and those of the
Blackhawks of Earth-Two/Earth-X are virtually identical, diverging with
Modern Comics #48 (Apr 1946).

Blackhawk (real name unrevealed)
Military Comics #1 (Aug 1941)
Born in the United States, of Polish descent. Died on Earth-X, as shown in
Justice League Of America #107 (Sep-Oct 1973).

Stan (Stanislaus "Stan", last name unrevealed)
Military Comics #2 (Sep 1941)
Born in Poland. Died on Earth-X, as shown in Justice League Of America #107
(Sep-Oct 1973).

Hendrickson (Hans Hendrickson)
Military Comics #2 (Sep 1941)
Born in Holland, with German family ties. Died on Earth-X, as shown in Justice
League Of America #107 (Sep-Oct 1973).

Andre (Andre, last name unrevealed)
Military Comics #2 (Sep 1941)
Born in France. Died on Earth-X, as shown in Justice League Of America #107
(Sep-Oct 1973).

Olaf (Olaf, last name unrevealed)
Military Comics #2 (Sep 1941)
Born in Sweden. Died on Earth-X, as shown in Justice League Of America #107
(Sep-Oct 1973).

Baker (Baker, first name unrevealed)
Military Comics #1 (Aug 1941)
Born in England. Fate unrevealed.

Boris (Boris, last name unrevealed)
Military Comics #2 (Sep 1941)
Born in Russia. Fate unrevealed.

Vladim (Vladim, last name unrevealed)
Military Comics #2 (Sep 1941)
Born in Russia??. Fate unrevealed.

Zeg (Zeg, last name unrevealed)
Military Comics #2 (Sep 1941)
Born in Poland. Fate unrevealed.

Chuck (Charles "Chuck" Wilson)
Military Comics #11 (Aug 1942)
Born in the United States (Texas). Died on Earth-X, as shown in Justice League Of
America #107 (Sep-Oct 1973).

Chop-Chop (real name unrevealed)
Military Comics #3 (Oct 1941)
Born in China. Died on Earth-X, as shown in Justice League Of America #107
(Sep-Oct 1973).

* Blackie the Hawk (Jet, a hawk, later called Blackie) ???
Blackhawk [Quality series] #75 (Apr 1954)
Blackie is a team mascot.

*****************************
*****************************

The Blackhawks: [Earth-12 Universe]

The Blackhawks first appeared in Blackhawk [1st DC series] #108 (Jan 1957).
Active on Earth-12 from September 1939 to the recent past. Adopted
costumed identities from #229 (Feb 1967) to #242 (Aug-Sep 1968).

Boris (Boris, last name unrevealed)
Blackhawk [1st DC series] #245 (Mar-Apr 1976)
Born in Russia. Believes he was left for dead in Angola by the Blackhawks,
gained anti-matter energy powers, died trying to destroy his ex-teammates in
#246 (May-June 1976).

Chuck (Charles "Chuck", last name unrevealed)
Blackhawk [1st DC series] #108 (Jan 1957)
Born in the United States. Chuck died stopping the War Wheel, as shown in Blackhawk
[1st DC series] #250 (Jan-Feb 1977).

The Blackhawks first appeared in Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977),
first chronological appearance in Blackhawk [1st DC series] #251 (Oct 1982).
Active on Earth-One from September 1939 to the recent past.

Blackhawk (real name unrevealed)
Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
Born in the United States, of Polish descent.

Stan (Stanislaus "Stan", last name unrevealed)
Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
Born in Poland.

Hendrickson (Hendrickson, first name unrevealed)
Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
Born in Holland.

Andre (Andre, last name unrevealed)
Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
Born in France.

Olaf (Olaf, last name unrevealed)
Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
Born in Sweden.

Chuck (Charles "Chuck", last name unrevealed)
Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
Born in the United States.

Chop-Chop (Wu Cheng)
Justice League Of America #144 (July 1977)
Born in the United States, of Chinese descent.

Andre (Andre Blanc-Dumont)
Blackhawk [2nd DC series] #1 (Mar 1988)
Born in France. Killed, as in shown in Blackhawk Special #1 (1992). Details
of his death remain classified. Note: Appears, alive and well, in JLA: Year One
#2 (Feb 1998), #8 (Aug 1998), and #12 (Dec 1998), possibly due to the events of Zero Hour.

My own take on the variant Blackhawks breaks down a little differently,
based on the multiple conflicting origins, which you cited above. For what
it’s worth, I chose to put a good chunk of DC’s 1960s series on Earth-One,
anyway, though, by the time they revamped the origin to begin around D-Day
in 1944, it was time to move to another parallel world. I selected
Earth-32 rather than Earth-12, whose lighter tone didn’t quite fit some of
these stories.

Anyway, here’s an excerpt from my own Blackhawk files, which I tried to
trim down rather than repeat what you’d posted:

In contrast to his Earth-Two, Earth-One, and current counterparts, the
Earth-40 BLACKHAWK's brother and sister were American volunteers in a
Polish hospital. They were killed when the site was attacked by Nazis.

The Earth-32 BLACKHAWK had been an American soldier during World War II
who left the air corps after his brother, Jack, was shot down (BLACKHAWK
(1) # 242). BLACKHAWK used the alias THE BIG EYE in BLACKHAWK (1) # 229-241.

Blackhawk, Andre, Chuck, Hendrickson, Olaf and Stan were brought
together as THE BLACKHAWKS in 1944 at the suggestion of General
Eisenhower. The group's first mission took place as part of the June, 1944
D-Day invasion of Normandy (BLACKHAWK # 198). The team was joined soon
after by Boris and, after his apparent death (# 246), by Chop-Chop in 1945
(# 203).
Two decades later, the still-active team became agents of the
government organization G.E.O.R.G.E. and adopted super-hero-style costumes
(# 230-241). In 1968, soon after Blackhawk's deranged brother Jack (now
known as Black Mask) had virtually destroyed G.E.O.R.G.E. (# 242),
Blackhawk and his squadron vanished. In 1975, after several years of
establishing new cover identities, the Blackhawks returned as mercenaries (# 244).

Formed in 1939, THE BLACKHAWKS began with Blackhawk, Stan and Zeg and
grew to include Chuck, Boris, Ian, Hendricksen, Andre, Olaf, Chop-Chop and
Lady Blackhawk by 1941. Post-war additions to the team included Pomeroy,
Paco, Grover and, in the 1960s, Jimmy. The Blackhawks remained active
until at least 1975 (BLACKHAWK SPECIAL # 1) but had evolved into Blackhawk
Express by 1980 (BLACKHAWK ANNUAL # 1).

BORIS died early in his Blackhawk career under unspecified
circumstances (BLACKHAWK (2) # 2).

DRAGO I:
Blackhawk (1) # 73

DRAGO joined the Blackhawks as part of a ruse devised by Blackhawk
himself to flush out a group called the Terrorists, a plot that included
Drago's kicking Blachawk off the team and declaring himself leader. With
the mission accomplished, an exhausted Drago retired.

Accepted to the Blackhawks on March 13, 1948, GROVER was still a part
of the group as late as 1968 (BLACKHAWK SPECIAL # 1).

GUNNER GRIFF:
Blackhawk (1) # 211

A one-time foe of the Blackhawks, GUNNER GRIFF became a crimefighter
following his release from prison and was drafted into the Blackhawks for
a single adventure while Olaf was afflicted with a temporary case of vertigo.

IAN HOLCOMB-BAKER:
Secret Origins # 45

IAN died early in his Blackhawk career under unspecified circumstances.

Born in 1945, JIMMY REED was the son of Ritter Hendricksen and Natalie
"Lady Blackhawk" Reed. As a young adult, he joined the Blackhawks, first
on the ground crew (circa 1963) and eventually as a pilot, sometime prior
to 1975 (BLACKHAWK SPECIAL # 1).

PACO HERRERA:
Blackhawk (3) # 10-13
Blackhawk Special # 1

A former member of Air Force Intelligence, PACO was tapped by Blackhawk
on February 20-21, 1950 to join him on a mission to rescue the rest of the
Blackhawks (BLACKHAWK (3) # 10). He remained with the team at least
through mid-1975 (BLACKHAWK SPECIAL # 1).

POMEROY:
Blackhawk (3) # 4-9

Part of an expedition to China that was intended by the government to
be a suicide mission, POMEROY remained with the Blackhawks upon their
return to the U.S. He was captured by renegade government agents on June
29, 1948 and sent to a cryogenics vault. Unseen since that day, his
survival remains in question (BLACKHAWK (3) # 8).

ZEG died early in his Blackhawk career under unspecified circumstances
(BLACKHAWK (2) # 2).

THE BLACKHAWKS of 2060:
Blackhawk (1) # 147

THE BLACKHAWKS of 853rd CENTURY:
Hourman # 12 (behind the scenes), 13

JohnnyWonderMember

posted July 30, 2001 11:23 AM

Stunned as ever, Mik...

Ah, but as long as we're on the JSA board: Blackhawk Island showed up
in an issue of JSA as a Kobra base, located in the Pacific. Earlier, it
was in the Atlantic.

Thoughts on when they shifted locations?

CardinalMember

posted July 30, 2001 05:04 PM

Mikishawn, what is your breakdown of the various Earths. I'm familiar with
the standard ones like Earths I, II, X, but in many of your posts you list
other ones such as Earth 12, Earth 40, etc. Are these ones you've come up
with to explain the many continuity inconsistencies?

P.S. I'm still waiting for your DC Encyclopedia series to start!

MikishawmMember

posted July 30, 2001 08:56 PM

Johnny Wonder: "Blackhawk Island showed up in an issue of JSA as a Kobra
base, located in the Pacific. Earlier, it was in the Atlantic. Thoughts on
when they shifted locations?"

I haven't given this much thought yet but I HAVE concluded that there
were two Blackhawk teams in the pre-JLA DC Universe -- the originals and a
newer, younger crew who adopted the names of the originals in the decade
or so before the Justice League appeared. It was this team that appeared
in YEAR ONE and, maybe, it was their island that showed up in JSA.

Cardinal: "What is your breakdown of the various Earths. I'm familiar
with the standard ones like Earths I, II, X, but in many of your posts,
you list other ones such as Earth 12, Earth 40, etc. Are these ones you've
come up with to explain the many continuity inconsistencies?"

That's exactly what they are. Earth-12 was actually named in THE
OZ-WONDERLAND WARS # 3 and is the home of the Inferior Five, DC's various
teen humor characters and other light-hearted series.

Earth-32 is my own creation and it's the spot where I put most stories
that don't fit on Earth-One. It's named after a pre-existing (but unnamed)
parallel Earth that appeared in 1964's GREEN LANTERN # 32 (which is where
I got the number). That world's Hal Jordan was married to Carol Ferris but
otherwise had a career pretty similar to his Earth-One counterpart.

Earth-40 (named after the 1940s) is where I put Golden Age stories that
don't fit on Earth-Two.